Posted on 01/02/2021 10:11:25 AM PST by TigerClaws
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and Mike Braun (R-Ind.), and Senators-Elect Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) issued the following statement in advance of the Electoral College certification process on January 6, 2021:
"America is a Republic whose leaders are chosen in democratic elections. Those elections, in turn, must comply with the Constitution and with federal and state law.
"When the voters fairly decide an election, pursuant to the rule of law, the losing candidate should acknowledge and respect the legitimacy of that election. And, if the voters choose to elect a new office-holder, our Nation should have a peaceful transfer of power.
"The election of 2020, like the election of 2016, was hard fought and, in many swing states, narrowly decided. The 2020 election, however, featured unprecedented allegations of voter fraud, violations and lax enforcement of election law, and other voting irregularities.
"Voter fraud has posed a persistent challenge in our elections, although its breadth and scope are disputed. By any measure, the allegations of fraud and irregularities in the 2020 election exceed any in our lifetimes.
"And those allegations are not believed just by one individual candidate. Instead, they are widespread. Reuters/Ipsos polling, tragically, shows that 39% of Americans believe ‘the election was rigged.' That belief is held by Republicans (67%), Democrats (17%), and Independents (31%).
"Some Members of Congress disagree with that assessment, as do many members of the media.
"But, whether or not our elected officials or journalists believe it, that deep distrust of our democratic processes will not magically disappear. It should concern us all. And it poses an ongoing threat to the legitimacy of any subsequent administrations.
"Ideally, the courts would have heard evidence and resolved these claims of serious election fraud. Twice, the Supreme Court had the opportunity to do so; twice, the Court declined.
"On January 6, it is incumbent on Congress to vote on whether to certify the 2020 election results. That vote is the lone constitutional power remaining to consider and force resolution of the multiple allegations of serious voter fraud.
"At that quadrennial joint session, there is long precedent of Democratic Members of Congress raising objections to presidential election results, as they did in 1969, 2001, 2005, and 2017. And, in both 1969 and 2005, a Democratic Senator joined with a Democratic House Member in forcing votes in both houses on whether to accept the presidential electors being challenged.
"The most direct precedent on this question arose in 1877, following serious allegations of fraud and illegal conduct in the Hayes-Tilden presidential race. Specifically, the elections in three states-Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina-were alleged to have been conducted illegally.
"In 1877, Congress did not ignore those allegations, nor did the media simply dismiss those raising them as radicals trying to undermine democracy. Instead, Congress appointed an Electoral Commission-consisting of five Senators, five House Members, and five Supreme Court Justices-to consider and resolve the disputed returns.
"We should follow that precedent. To wit, Congress should immediately appoint an Electoral Commission, with full investigatory and fact-finding authority, to conduct an emergency 10-day audit of the election returns in the disputed states. Once completed, individual states would evaluate the Commission's findings and could convene a special legislative session to certify a change in their vote, if needed.
"Accordingly, we intend to vote on January 6 to reject the electors from disputed states as not ‘regularly given' and ‘lawfully certified' (the statutory requisite), unless and until that emergency 10-day audit is completed.
"We are not naïve. We fully expect most if not all Democrats, and perhaps more than a few Republicans, to vote otherwise. But support of election integrity should not be a partisan issue. A fair and credible audit-conducted expeditiously and completed well before January 20-would dramatically improve Americans' faith in our electoral process and would significantly enhance the legitimacy of whoever becomes our next President. We owe that to the People.
"These are matters worthy of the Congress, and entrusted to us to defend. We do not take this action lightly. We are acting not to thwart the democratic process, but rather to protect it. And every one of us should act together to ensure that the election was lawfully conducted under the Constitution and to do everything we can to restore faith in our Democracy."
RINOs have thrown all of us under the bus.
I just want those RINOs to hurt as bad or worse.
I don’t agree there has to be an objection or an alternative slate.
If three of the contested states decertify and withdraw their skates so that no candidate has 270, the decision goes to the House and decided by a majority of state delegations.
Really?
Are there not enough democrats for you to aim at?
Seems to be a target rich environment.
To decertify the electors, a state legislature would need to reconvene its assembly. That occurs in one of two ways: In the disputed states, their constitution requires either a 2/3 or 3/5 majority to call the legislature back into session - and, IIRC, this is done by the members’ petition. The second method is where the governor makes the call.
Neither one of these two avenues are in play: in the states having Republican majorities, neither chamber holds a majority of 2/3 or 3/5. In the states having a Republican executive, the governor has refused to call a special session. And, of course, where there is a Democrat governor - such as Gov. Wolf of PA - he will certainly not go against his own party.
Some have argued that the legislators, because they hold plenary power, may simply declare the electors invalid without having to call together their assemblies by the majority vote stated above ... If that is true, it is news to me that they could do so. At this late hour, if they hold such power, then why have they not availed themselves to it?
“ Some have argued that the legislators, because they hold plenary power, may simply declare the electors invalid without having to call together their assemblies by the majority vote stated above ... If that is true, it is news to me that they could do so. At this late hour, if they hold such power, then why have they not availed themselves to it?”
Yes, they hold plenary power because it is the US constitution not the state constitution - and certainly not the governor! that gives them authority over a national election - they can just do it - they don’t need the Governor’s permission!
There has been some confusion over this - but mostly moot tomorrow when they begin their regular sessions.
The long and the short of it is that the Secretaries of State’s power to certify was delegated to them by the legislatures - who can take it back at any time for any reason.
Well, those Republican state legislators have until 12-noon, January 6th, to make their move ... And, honestly, I do not believe that a majority have the political courage to do so.
Yeah... I guess we’ll see
Bookmark
Keeper - unfortunately.
And it’s all true.
Keeper - unfortunately.
And it’s all true.
Beautiful.......
LOL........neat-o.
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