Republican senators in Pennsylvania were invited to a lunch at the White House while President Donald Trump claimed baselessly that Democrats robbed him of the battle state
HARRISBURG, Pa. – Republican state senators in Pennsylvania were invited to a lunch at the White House on Wednesday, while President Donald Trump insists on talking about reversing his defeat at the U.S. Supreme Court and claims baselessly that Democrats stole the state his battle.
A caucus spokesman said that all Republican senators received the invitation by email this week. It was unclear who decided to go, said spokeswoman Jennifer Kocher.
A copy of the invitation obtained by the Associated Press mentions lunch with the president, but gives no agenda. The event was not on Trump’s public schedule.
Senator Doug Mastriano then emailed him on Tuesday to all senators as a reminder, advising them to fill in the security details on the RSVP “if you would like to join us for lunch with POTUS at the House White tomorrow ”.
Mastriano did not immediately return messages left on his cell phone on Wednesday.
The invitation came about a month after Pennsylvania Republican state lawmakers held a public hearing in Gettysburg, without affidavits or Democratic lawmakers in attendance, to discuss efforts to topple President-elect Joe Biden’s victory with Trump’s lawyers, Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis.
Most of the participants went without a mask at the crowded public meeting. Some of the lawmakers later went to the White House to meet with Trump.
One of the lawmakers there, Mastriano, revealed five days after he had contracted the coronavirus. Mastriano revealed the diagnosis in a live video on Facebook, the day after the Associated Press reported that Mastriano was informed of the positive test while in the West Wing.
The state’s top Republican lawmakers rejected the openings they would vote to send Trump’s voters to Congress. However, 64 Republicans in the Pennsylvania legislature – less than half of the total, but including Republican leaders in the House – signed a declaration urging members of Congress to block Pennsylvania’s electoral votes for Biden.