. . World News – US Sen. . Hawley vows to question the results of the electoral college and create the conditions for the fight

Sen. . Josh Hawley (R-Mo. ) will object to the counting of electoral college delegates at a joint congressional session next week, he said Wednesday morning. This makes him the first Senator to promise a last-minute fight against President Donald Trump’s loss of the election, which could delay – but likely not derail – the conclusion of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.

Sen. . Josh Hawley, R-Mo. , speaks about judicial officer nominations during the Senate Judiciary Committee markup . . . [] and the Law to Modernize Online Content Policy on Thursday 10th. December 2020 in the Dirksen building.

The Senator joins several Republicans in the Trump Allied House who have already agreed to raise objections when Congress is held on Jan.. January meets in a joint meeting. 6 and officially counts the votes, a process intended to cement Biden’s 306-232 win over Trump.

Hawley’s participation guarantees a conflict next week: If at least one representative and Senator protest in writing against a voter roll, the House and Senate will split for two hours of debate and ultimately vote on whether to exclude voters.

It is unclear which electoral rolls Hawley wishes to object to (his office did not immediately respond to a request for comment). .

« I cannot vote in favor of the results of the electoral college on Jan.. January, without indicating that some states, particularly Pennsylvania, have failed to follow their own state election laws, « Hawley said in a statement Wednesday, reiterating an argument cited by Trump attorneys, but repeatedly by state and federal judges declined.

While Hawley’s strategy could make the Electoral College counting process more time-consuming and sharper, Biden’s victory is unlikely to be threatened. A majority in both the House and Senate must agree to remove a list of voters, an almost impossible feat given that the House is controlled by Democrats. If the House and the Senate do not agree, the voters certified by the « Executive of the State » stand in accordance with federal law. It is also unclear whether the Senate Republicans will even vote to massively eliminate voters, given party leaders like Sen.. . John Thune (R-S. D.. . ) have expressly rejected the idea.

With Trump’s efforts to undo Biden’s victory stalling in court and his allegations of widespread electoral fraud remaining unproven, the president has turned to the congressional census process as a last-ditch effort to stay in office. For the past few weeks he has been pressuring Republicans in Congress to object, praise his allies on Capitol Hill, and crack down on Senate Republican leaders who recognized Biden’s victory.

Objections to votes in Congress are unusual, but not unprecedented. As Hawley noted, a handful of House Democrats raised largely symbolic objections in 2017, 2005, and 2001. A Democratic Senator joined these efforts during the 2005 counting process, forcing both Houses of Congress to cast votes that had failed with wide bipartisan leeway.

I’m a breaking news reporter for Forbes. I previously covered local news for the Boston Guardian and graduated from Tufts University in 2019. You can contact me at

I’m a breaking news reporter for Forbes. I previously covered local news for the Boston Guardian and graduated from Tufts University in 2019. You can contact me at jwalsh @ forbes. com.

Josh Hawley, Republican Party, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, United States Electoral College, United States Senator