‘Pathetic. Weak. Spineless. Shameless’: Anger on both sides of the divide as Pence encourages GOP Senate election challenge

The response to Vice President Mike Pence’s assertion that he welcomed the efforts of a quantity congressional Republicans planning to challenge the election outcomes was swift and harsh.

Conservative lawyer and husband of former counsellor to the president Kellyanne Conway had just a few alternative phrases to explain the actions of Mr Pence.

At least 140 House Republicans and 12 in the Senate have introduced that they plan to challenge the congressional certification on January 6. Mr Pence is to preside over the proceedings in the Senate.

Mr Pence’s chief of employees Marc Short put out an announcement saying that Mr Pence “shares the concerns of millions of Americans about voter fraud and irregularities in the last election,” and that “The vice president welcomes the efforts of members of the House and Senate to use the authority they have under the law to raise objections and bring forward evidence before the Congress and the American people”.

Mr Pence beforehand requested {that a} lawsuit trying to present him the authority to overturn the election be dismissed.

Mr Pence is becoming a member of the election challenge together with a number of different Republicans who’re considered eyeing presidential runs in 2024, like Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Missouri Senator Josh Hawley. To win the nomination they’d doubtless need to develop into the heir-apparent in the eyes of Donald Trump’s fervent supporters.

Mr Cruz, together with ten different Senators, put out a statement on Saturday, saying that “Congress should immediately appoint an Electoral Commission, with full investigatory and fact-finding authority, to conduct an emergency 10-day audit of the election returns in the disputed states.”

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“Accordingly, we intend to vote on January 6 to reject the electors from disputed states… unless and until that emergency 10-day audit is completed.”

The assertion cited the perception many citizens maintain that the election was rigged however no proof that that was the case. No proof has but been discovered of widespread voter fraud and election safety specialists have stated that the election was free, truthful, and secure. A statement from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency stated: “The November 3rd election was the most secure in American history.”

Mr Trump’s former Attorney General William Barr said on December 1 that “We have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.”

Mr Cruz’ assertion famous that some Democrats have raised objections in the previous and cited an electoral fee setup in 1877 after doubts had been raised about the 1876 election. But this huge a quantity of election challengers might rock the foundations of American democracy by turning what was process right into a partisan combat.

The final standard-bearer of the Republican Party from the pre-Trump period, 2012 presidential nominee and now Utah Senator Mitt Romney put out a statement blasting the election challenge saying: “The egregious ploy to reject electors may enhance the political ambition of some, but dangerously threatens our Democratic Republic.”

Mr Romney referred to as Mr Cruz’s argument that difficult the outcomes would restore belief in the system “nonsense”. finishing with: “I could never have imagined seeing these things in the greatest democracy in the world. Has ambition so eclipsed principle?”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s former chief of staff predicted that those challenging the election will regret it in the future.

Republican Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska slammed members of his own party saying: “The president and his allies are playing with fire… 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.”

Mr Sasse joined Mr Romney in criticising the election challengers for putting political ambition ahead of integrity. He said: “Let’s be clear what is happening here: We have a bunch of ambitious politicians who think there’s a quick way to tap into the president’s populist base without doing any real, long-term damage. But they’re wrong – and this issue is bigger than anyone’s personal ambitions. Adults don’t point a loaded gun at the heart of legitimate self-government.”

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