Two Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives reportedly say they expect at least 140 of their colleagues to vote against counting the electoral votes on Jan. 6, when Congress reconvenes.
“2 House Republicans tell me they expect as of now that at least 140 Republican Members of the House will on Jan 6 object to and vote against the Electoral College results showing President-elect Biden won,” CNN host Jake Tapper wrote on Twitter.
2 House Republicans tell me they expect as of now that at least 140 Republican Members of the House will on Jan 6 object to and vote against the Electoral College results showing President-elect Biden won
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) December 31, 2020
At least one member of the House and one lawmaker in the Senate are required to mount an objection when Congress counts the votes from the Electoral College, which last month certified the win for President-elect Joe Biden, 306-232.
In the Senate, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri said Wednesday that he will object to the outcome. That means that lawmakers in both the House and Senate will debate for two hours before voting on whether to accept the results of the Electoral College.
“You’ve got 74 million Americans who feel disenfranchised, who feel like their vote doesn’t matter. And this is the one opportunity that I have as a United States senator, this process right here, my one opportunity to stand up and say something, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do,” Hawley said on Wednesday.
Rep.-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) told The Epoch Times this week that objections will be filed against the votes from six states, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, and Nevada.
Some newly elected lawmakers also vowed to object. “If irregularities exist, we should examine and provide solutions to make sure our electoral process is accurate and represents the will of the people,” Rep.-elect Burgess Owens (R-UT) said. “Millions of Americans across this country are concerned about the electoral process and we do them a great disservice by merely ignoring their voices.”
While President Trump has long called on Republicans to object to the Electoral College results, some GOP lawmakers are urging fellow party members not to go down that road, citing the failure of legal challenges mounted by Trump’s team and recounts in various counties upholding the electoral outcomes.
“The president and his allies are playing with fire,” Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) said in a Facebook post on Wednesday. “They have been asking — first the courts, then state legislatures, now the Congress — to overturn the results of a presidential election. They have unsuccessfully called on judges and are now calling on federal officeholders to invalidate millions and millions of votes. If you make big claims, you had better have the evidence. But the president doesn’t and neither do the institutional arsonist members of Congress who will object to the Electoral College vote.”
And earlier this month, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) urged GOP lawmakers to accept the Electoral College outcome.
“Our country has, officially, a president-elect and a vice-president-elect,” McConnell said from the Senate floor in mid December. “I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden. The president-elect is no stranger to the Senate. He’s devoted himself to public service for many years.”
Related: Sen. Josh Hawley Faces Backlash From GOP Colleagues Over New Action