Josh Hawley Pledges To Challenge Biden's Win In Pennsylvania On Jan. 6
Missouri Senator Josh Hawley pledged to object to the certification of the Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden on Jan. 6, when Congress is set to certify the results of the recently concluded presidential election. This holds out against warnings from GOP leaders about staging a doomed-to-fail parade.
The announcement also pits both chambers against each other to debate the results of at least one state and vote on whether they will accept Biden's victory. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had warned Republicans against objecting to the election results, despite coming under fire from President Donald Trump, who is encouraging Republicans to overturn the election results, Axios reported.
In his statement, Hawley noted that he would not vote to certify the electoral college results next month without raising questions regarding some states, particularly Pennsylvania, failing to follow its own election laws. He went on to say that he will not vote to certify without raising the fact that big techs, including Facebook and Twitter, interfered in this election to support Biden.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump continues to refuse to concede to his loss in the presidential election. He has repeatedly pushed conspiracy theories and baseless claims of massive voter fraud, urging his supporters to continue the fight.
The effort in the House is spearheaded by Representative Mo Brooks of Alabama, with several other House Republicans planning to join him. Among others, Representative-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia has also said she will join Brooks, who thanked Hawley for his support on Wednesday, per Bloomberg.
It is worth mentioning here that Hawley's challenge will in no way change the outcome of the election. However, it will delay Biden's victory certification, forcing every member of the Senate and House on the record to affirm his win. Although Hawley said Wednesday that other senators' offices had shown interest in a challenge, he isn't sure if they will join, POLITICO reported.
Hawley said he informed GOP leaders before announcing his plan to object Biden's certification next month but did not reveal how many states he would challenge, claiming that they are still working on the "logistics of it." McConnell and other Senate Republican leaders have previously warned against challenging the election because it will not only split the party but also because the move will be seen as a referendum on the president.