Five Republican members of Congress voted against an otherwise unanimously passed non-binding resolution in the House of Representatives on Tuesday that expressed support for the peaceful transition of power between presidential administrations.
The five who voted against the resolution were Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Clay Higgins (R-LA), Steve King (R-IA), and Thomas Massie (R-KY), according to The Hill. The bill passed with 397 votes, with several of the 435 members of Congress either not present or abstaining.
Drafted by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), the resolution, which mirrored a similar one passed last week in the Senate, said in part that the House “reaffirms its commitment to the orderly and peaceful transfer of power called for in the Constitution of the United States” and “intends that there should be no disruptions by the president or any person in power to overturn the will of the people of the United States.”
Swalwell said, “As the United States of America, the federal government has always had a peaceful transition of power. And it is a collective responsibility of this body to ensure that continues. Everyone in America knows that this is what makes us American. Everyone, that is, except President Trump.”
The contention against the resolution, according to its opponents quoted in The Independent, was that it was an indirect hit at President Donald Trump, who demurred when he was asked last week if he would accept the results of the 2020 presidential election. “Get rid of the ballots and you’ll have a very peaceful—there won’t be a transfer, frankly. There will be a continuation,” Trump maintained.
“This resolution was a disingenuous political statement meant to poke the president in the eye,” Massie said. “Isn’t it interesting that speaker Pelosi and leader McCarthy didn’t have the time or political willpower to take a recorded vote on the $2 trillion bailout package that passed in March, but they’re now happy to vote on this tripe?”
Higgins slammed the resolution as a “Democrat stunt” and “an attack against Mr. Trump that falsely asserts an intention to resist a peaceful transition of executive power after an uncontested election result.”
Gaetz also savaged the legislation, saying, “This resolution is a way for Democrats to attack the president and disguise the fact that they will refuse to accept the election results unless they win.” He claimed it is an attempt to lay the groundwork for “the ousting of an elected leader and calling it democracy.”
“But that’s not democracy,” Gaetz added. “It’s nothing less than the destruction of our cherished nation. I unequivocally support the peaceful transfer of power but will vote no on this resolution, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same. And I will pray that America survives the Democrats’ mad and destructive lust for power.”
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