Posted on 01/02/2021 7:46:03 PM PST by RandFan
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) on Saturday offered blistering criticism of a plan by at least 12 Republican senators to challenge the results of the election next week, warning that they "imperil" public trust.
“The egregious ploy to reject electors may enhance the political ambition of some, but dangerously threatens our Democratic Republic. The congressional power to reject electors is reserved for the most extreme and unusual circumstances. These are far from it," Romney said in a statement.
Romney had previously told reporters Friday that objecting during Wednesday's joint session, where Congress will formally count the Electoral College vote, would help "spread the false rumor that somehow the election was stolen."
But his statement on Saturday comes after 11 GOP senators, led by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), warned that they will support challenges to President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College win — where he received 306 votes compared to Trump's 232 — unless there is a commission created to conduct a 10-day audit.
“My fellow Senator Ted Cruz and the co-signers of his statement argue that rejection of electors or an election audit directed by Congress would restore trust in the election. Nonsense. ... Members of Congress who would substitute their own partisan judgement for that of the courts do not enhance public trust, they imperil it," Romney added.
The statement from the 11 Republican senators comes after Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announced on Wednesday that he would object to the election results. Hawley has not said which states he will object to, but has specifically called out Pennsylvania.
Dozens of House Republicans have said they will object to the election results on Wednesday. The support of at least 12 GOP senators means that they will be able to force debates and votes on their challenges for the third time in history since 1887.
If an objection has the support of a member of the House and a member of the Senate, the two chambers separate and debate it for up to two hours. Both the House and Senate would then vote on whether to uphold the objection, which would require a majority in both chambers to be successful.
Wednesday's objections will fail — as both Hawley and the group of 11 have acknowledged — because Democrats control the House and several GOP senators have said they will oppose objections next week.
Romney, in his statement, warned that if their challenges were successful, the result would be that "partisans would inevitably demand the same any time their candidate had lost." Romney also called out Trump, who has urged his supporters to come to Washington, D.C., on January 6, warning that the strategy could "lead to disruption, and worse."
“I could never have imagined seeing these things in the greatest democracy in the world. Has ambition so eclipsed principle?” Romey asked.
Romney, the only GOP senator who voted for one of the articles of impeachment against Trump last year, is the latest GOP senator to formally weigh in after Cruz and 10 other GOP senators, or senators-elect, announced that they would support challenging the election results.
Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) formally announced on Saturday that they would vote against any attempt to challenge the election results on Wednesday.
"I urge my colleagues from both parties to recognize this and to join me in maintaining confidence in the Electoral College and our elections," Murkowski said.
Toomey said the "evidence is overwhelming that Joe Biden won this election."
Murkowski had previously criticized Hawley's plan in comments to reporters, while Toomey spoke out against it in a caucus call on Thursday.
The decision by Republicans to challenge the election results has resulted in increasingly public divisions among the Senate GOP, many of whom have not said how they will vote.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) previously urged Republican senators to not join an effort by House conservatives to object, warning that it would only force a politically tough vote that won't change the outcome of the election.
He told reporters in a separate call on Wednesday that he viewed the vote as one of the most important of his congressional career, calling it, according to GOP senators on the call, the "most consequential vote."
That miserable piece of flotsam has never been on a drilling rig burning out of control from a blow out or sinking and all scrambling for life and saving each other. Sadly none were saved on the Alexander Killend nor Piper Alpha. Those on the Killend drowned post hypothermia in the cold North Sea, they were the lucky ones. Those on Piper Alpha burned to death which is much worse in the extreme.
We did have one good sinking in Lake Maracaibo. We took the rig out far overboard with loading. Not unsual but the man from Loyds was not pleased. We had a storm and sank. All got off safe and went to town and drank beer for 2 months until we had a new rig.
Rommny does not even realize he is a piece of crap. He is a man of education and letters but does not know crap about reality and life and death in the real world. I became a man of letters years later. I much prefer the companionship of the boys on the drilling rigs and soldiers.
He will die a miserable man.
Or, just kick the bucket!
Romney the pedophile is concerned about this?
Confidence in the electoral college? Do these people even understand the system’s design? Sickening, I’m ready for extreme measures but it’s Trump’s call
Hey kittens you loser piece of crap who threw the election to the usurper
Fock you ! Eat shiite and die asswipe !
There is NOTHING. NOTHING. LOWER THAN YOU !
You know, one of the reasons why I left the Freep before was because I supported this jerk when every Freeper was saying this guy was as bad as voting for Obama in 2012.
I got my shorts in a bunch and left.
Then... four years later, this clown comes out and degrades Trump in a speech and I realized all the Freepers I’d argued with had been right.
I was too dumb to see it then.
I say it now, Magic Underwear Mittens, shut your dang pie hole. Just shutty. Shutty shutty shutty.
Nothing worse than a neverwas sore loser in weird underpants.
Romney doesn’t even know what form of government we have. Contrary to his mythical “Democratic republic”, what we have is a constitutional republic, with democratic institutions. He seems more in tune with European democratic socialism, or with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, than with the United States of America.
We already know how Romulus will vote.
STFU Mittens.
Stuff it mittens, go polish some gold plates or something.
Not yet, but Lin definitely needs to start tweeting about this guy! He’s all over Roberts, Breyer and Pelosi right now.
Pence thought he was going to slip out of the Country after he stabbed
Trump in the back. I’m certain it was not his decision to cancel the trip.
That miserable piece of flotsam has never been on a drilling rig burning out of control from a blow out or sinking and all scrambling for life and saving each other. Sadly none were saved on the Alexander Killend nor Piper Alpha. Those on the Killend drowned post hypothermia in the cold North Sea, they were the lucky ones. Those on Piper Alpha burned to death which is much worse in the extreme.
We did have one good sinking in Lake Maracaibo. We took the rig out far overboard with loading. Not unsual but the man from Loyds was not pleased. We had a storm and sank. All got off safe and went to town and drank beer for 2 months until we had a new rig.
Rommny does not even realize he is a piece of crap. He is a man of education and letters but does not know crap about reality and life and death in the real world. I became a man of letters years later. I much prefer the companionship of the boys on the drilling rigs and soldiers.
Yep.
“I realized all the Freepers I’d argued with had been right.”
Hate when that happens, but it’s happened a few times!
Was this gem issued through his outlet in Casas Grandes?
But election fraud, nah that doesn’t threaten the country at
all.
Mitt, you’ve got the intellect of a nine year old.
It likely cost him the White House.
I have no interest in trusting a system that has been demonstrated to be untrustworthy.
Romney plans to be the Republican nominee for President in 2024.
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