Congressional Republicans Reject Resolution Acknowledging Election Results
The election is over. Joe Biden won. Donald Trump’s lawsuits attempting to overturn the results are a complete failure. However, Congressional Republicans aren’t ready to hear it.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer put forward a resolution that would simply have acknowledged, officially, that Biden won the election, and is President-Elect of the United States. This was placed to the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies — that is, a group of legislators from the House and Senate who work on inaugural matters.
Their continued deference to President Trump's post-election temper tantrums threatens our democracy and undermines faith in our system of elections.
— Steny Hoyer (@LeaderHoyer) December 8, 2020
As he explains on his official page as House Majority Leader, this would have allowed the inaugural committee to publicly acknowledge that the inauguration they’re preparing for is that of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
However, the resolution, a simple acknowledgment of the election outcome, was blocked by Senator Mitch McConnell, Senator Roy Blunt, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
Hoyer is calling this “continued deference to President Trump’s post-election temper tantrums,” and warning that the refusal of Republicans to acknowledge reality damages American ideals by undermining confidence in the election process. “Instead, Republicans are refusing even to allow JCCIC to say that President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris will be inaugurated on January 20, even when there is no serious dispute over that fact,” he said.
Acknowledging a reality that Donald Trump opposes, however, can be politically dangerous for Republicans. Trump is currently attacking Georgia’s Republican leadership — Governor Brian Kemp, Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan, and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger — for failing to overturn the results of the election in Georgia to give Trump the electoral votes Biden earned.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1336110929856040960
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1335971721262796801
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1333410418119864320
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1336148836495069185
Republicans in the Federal government presumably could expect similar attacks if they go against Trump, even on so simple an acknowledgment as recognizing that states have certified their ballots and are moving forward.
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