The week
Republican Party congressmen will not reject the Electoral College vote because the party ‘depends’ on it for presidential victories
Republican members of the House against an attempt to oppose the Electoral College’s vote certification are saying the silent part of their argument very, very loudly. A coalition of 11 Republican Party senators is planning to join some House Republicans to oppose President-elect certification Joe Biden’s victory on Wednesday, presenting denied allegations of electoral fraud as an argument. But another group of seven House members of Congress cautioned against weakening confidence in the Electoral College, saying in a statement on Monday that it could cost the party its only chance of winning a future presidential election. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Kelly Armstrong (RN.D.), Ken Buck (R-Colorado), Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc.) Nancy Mace (RS.C.), Tom McClintock (R-Calif. .), and Chip Roy (R-Texas) released their joint statement on Monday, claiming that they believe “significant abuses in our electoral system” occurred in 2020. The US electoral system must guarantee “only legal votes to select their leaders “and the voters who formally elect them, the statement said. “But only states have the authority to nominate voters” and, after that, Congress can only count their votes, the group wrote. “To act otherwise” just “strengthen[s] the efforts of those on the left “who want to end the Electoral College at once. From there, groups are specific about the” purely partisan “side of their argument. Republican presidential candidates have only won the popular vote once in the past 32 years, relying on the Electoral College for most of its victories. “If we perpetuate the notion that Congress can disregard certified electoral votes … we will be delegitimizing the very system that led Donald Trump to victory in 2016, and that could provide the the only way to victory in 2024, “concluded the congressmen. Senior intelligence officials and former attorney general William Barr said there was no evidence of fraud that altered the elections in the 2020 election. More stories from theweek.com Why Trump may have Lindsey Graham blamed for recording the call from Raffensperger Hawley and Cruz: How to lie without lying Rep. Kay Granger tests positive for COVID-19 after receiving the pr first dose of the vaccine