Senate Republicans say majority leader Mitch McConnell
Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellBipartisan, bicameral group asks Trump to sign the COVID-19 bailout package Meghan McCain says Merry Christmas to everyone except for ‘healthy people under 65’ getting vaccine before health workers front Republicans struggle to avoid end-of-year legislative disaster MORE (R-Ky.) Will contact Senator-elect Tommy Tuberville (Alabama) in an attempt to avoid a dispute on the ground next month over finalizing the results of the Electoral College vote.
Republican Senate Whip John Thune
John Randolph ThuneTrump’s last few weeks create chaos for Congressional Republicans struggling to avoid the end-of-year legislative disaster. Noem dismisses Thune’s challenge after Trump criticizes Senator MORE (SD) said Republican Party leaders will tell Tuberville that voting to suspend the Electoral College’s vote count next month will be a pointless – and politically damaging, move.
“Ultimately, each senator will have to make his own decision about it, but I think there will be people, yes, just contacting him just to find out” what he is going to do, said Thune of Tuberville’s intentions about counting of the Electoral College on January 6.
“At the very least, we need to know the plan,” he added. “We’ll see. He made some public statements” about opposing the vote.
“I hope that in the end all the senators will conclude that this election needs to end and that it is time to move on,” he said.
President Trump
Donald Trump Powell says White House advisers will not let her help Trump Judge reject the Republican Party’s lawsuit to close Georgia polls after business hours Bipartisan, bicameral group urges Trump to sign the COVID-19 relief package MORE is encouraging Tuberville, who won the former senator. Jeff Sessions
Jefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsNicolle Wallace asks Chris Christie if he is trying to “clean up Trump’s scent” before 2024 Barr leaves a conflicting legacy at DOJ Warren planning the release of his new book, “Persist” MORE (R-Ala.) In the Republican primaries of Alabama with the support of Trump, to contest the counting of electoral votes when Congress meets in a joint session next month.
Trump said in a radio interview over the weekend that he spoke to Tuberville about challenging the vote count and that the senator seemed enthusiastic about the idea.
“He’s so excited,” said Trump, adding that Tuberville is grateful for the president’s support during the election. “He said, ‘You made me the most popular politician in the United States.’ He said, ‘I can’t believe it’. He is great. Great senator. “
A Republican senator said he expected McConnell to go to Tuberville to persuade him that forcing a Senate debate over the legitimacy of any state’s electoral votes is not a good idea.
“I am sure the leader will contact him and speak to him,” said the senior lawmaker on the expectation that McConnell will try to intervene to avoid a confused dispute over the election results.
“The question is will [Tuberville] listen because your entire election was based on Trump not liking Sessions, ”added the senator. “From a cold-blooded point of view … if Trump asks him, I assume he would probably do it because he wouldn’t see any downside.”
Tuberville defeated Sessions, who represented Alabama in the Senate for 20 years before leaving Congress to serve as Trump’s attorney general in the July primaries thanks in large part to Trump’s support.
Trump endorsed Tuberville on Twitter in March as “a REAL LEADER who will never let MAGA / KAG, or our country, down!”
McConnell, Thune and Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee Roy Blunt
Roy Dean BluntRelief project being sent to Trump in Florida The final weeks of Trump create chaos for the Republican Congressional senator warns that K checks cannot be approved and urges Trump to sign a COVID agreement MORE (R-Mo.) Everyone advised Republican senators not to contest the electoral vote next month.
“I didn’t speak to him about it personally, but I would be shocked if someone didn’t speak to him,” said the senator. John Cornyn
The approval of the John CornynRelief project sparks a struggle to declare victory, blaming Congress for passing a seven-day interim measure to buy time for the COVID-19 funding deal Cinemas and entertainment venues struggling to get B in federal aid MORE (R-Texas,), an adviser to the leadership of the Republican Party in the Senate.
“Basically, it is going according to motions,” said Cornyn of contesting the Electoral College count when there is no chance of reversing the results. “It is a futile exercise.”
“I hope no senator decides to do that,” he said, before adding that there is no way for Republican leaders to be sure what will happen next month.
“Everyone here is a free agent,” he said
Election officials in states across the country have already certified the results of the November 3 presidential election, and Trump’s legal team has not provided evidence to support his allegations of widespread electoral fraud, which the courts vehemently rejected.
Rep. Mo Brooks
Morris (Mo) Jackson BrooksNoem dismisses Thune’s challenge after Trump criticizes Senator Trump attacks Thune: ‘He will take precedence in 2022’ Growing number of Republican lawmakers back Electoral College Challenge MORE (R-Ala.) Plans to challenge Biden’s victory when the House meets on January 6 to consider the votes of the Electoral College. Several other House Republicans said they would join Brooks, but he needs a senator to force a debate and vote in both houses.
If any senator signs a House member’s objection to the reported electoral votes from Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin or any other undefined state, it would suspend the joint session and force each chamber to debate and vote separately on the matter.
McConnell warned Republican colleagues in the Senate during a Dec. 15 conference call that contesting the counting of electoral votes in certain states on Jan. 6 would be a political mistake.
He said it would be politically damaging for Republican senators running for re-election to vote on such a controversial topic, according to senators who participated in the discussion.
Senators who vote to reject the objection face Trump’s wrath, which could dampen support for Trump’s supporters in future elections.
Trump in recent days has expressed his frustration with Senate Republicans for not joining his efforts to run for election.
“Mitch, 75,000 votes, a record for an incumbent president (by far). Too early to give up, ”he tweeted to McConnell. “The Republican Party must finally learn to fight. People are angry! “
On Tuesday, Trump threatened Thune with a major challenge in 2022 by urging other Republicans not to oppose the Electoral College count.
“Republicans in the Senate forget so quickly. At the moment, they would lose 8 seats without me supporting them in the last election. RINO John Thune, the ‘Mitch boy’, should just let that happen. South Dakota does not like weakness. He will have his primacy in 2022, political career ended !!! ”Trump tweeted.
Senators who vote to support efforts to reject election votes from Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin or other states are also facing reactions.
Sens. Kelly Loeffler
Kelly LoefflerOssoff, Warnock every rake in more than 0 million Judge rejects Republican Party action to close Georgia ballot boxes after business hours Warnock says he will focus on Georgians after the ex-wife’s video appears. MORE (R-Ga.) – if she wins a second round on January 5 – and Ron Johnson
Ronald (Ron) Harold JohnsonJuan Williams: The Republican Party’s betrayal of America’s Republicans desperate to avoid the electoral college vote fight Congress opposes a veto conflict with Trump MORE (R-Wis.) They are running for re-election in 2022 in states facing unfounded allegations of widespread electoral fraud.
Republicans also have to defend Sen’s retirement. Pat Toomey
Patrick (Pat) Joseph ToomeyThe government used the Patriot Act to collect records of website visitors in 2019 The appeals court ruled that the mass collection of telephone data from the NSA is illegal. Dunford withdraws from consideration to chair the coronavirus supervisory panel MORE(R) seat in Pennsylvania. Toomey dismissed Trump’s allegations of electoral fraud in his home state, citing the lack of evidence.
Thune said that the GOP leadership wants to “encourage all of our members – new members included – that we have a lot of work ahead of us and that reshaping that takes a lot of time, energy and political capital that could be better used to work on an agenda for the next year. “