2 of Trump's closest allies in the Senate turn against Republican plan to reject election results

Kathryn Krawczyk

Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) are usually some of President Trump's staunchest allies in the Senate. But when it comes to Republicans' plans to oppose President-elect Joe Biden's win on Wednesday, they're taking another road.

Cotton, whom one analyst called the likely "heir to Trumpism" after pressing for a militaristic response to racial justice protests over the summer, issued a statement Monday affirming he won't reject the confirmation of Biden's Electoral College win. While Cotton had some "concerns" about alleged "irregularities in the presidential election," he said the correct way to solve those problems is through an investigatory commission and congressional hearings. "The founders entrusted our elections chiefly to the states — not Congress," Cotton continued. An attempt to overthrow the Electoral College's decision would "exceed that power" and "establish unwise precedents," including some he claimed Democrats could abuse, Cotton finished.

In response, Trump tweeted a threat against the political future of the potential 2024 candidate.

Lee, who helped orchestrate Trump's impeachment defense, meanwhile signaled he'd oppose the attempt to disqualify the election results on Monday as well. He had been considering signing onto a joint statement with Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), who has objected to the seating of Republican congressmembers who claim the election was fraudulent, a draft of the statement obtained by Politico revealed. Lee's communications director later tweeted that the senator would be sending out a statement of his own Tuesday or Wednesday.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is leading a coalition of 11 Republican senators who will join with some House Republicans and reject the affirmation of Biden's win — a usually uncontroversial process. Several other moderate Republicans have opposed the coalition. And while Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) reportedly tried to ensure no senators joined House Republicans' effort to oppose the election results, he clearly failed.

More stories from theweek.com
Why Trump may have Lindsey Graham to blame for Raffensperger call recording
Hawley and Cruz: How to lie without quite lying
Rep. Kay Granger tests positive for COVID-19 after receiving 1st vaccine dose

Latest Stories

  • 'You're the arsonist here': NBC's Chuck Todd confronts GOP senator over effort to overturn election results

    NBC moderator Chuck Todd grilled Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., on Sunday about the GOP lawmaker's support for the latest far-fetched bid to overturn President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

  • GOP congressman who eked out victory in Biden district will join Electoral College objectors

    Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.) became the latest congressional Republican to announce he'll object to the Electoral College certification on Wednesday. Garcia said that while he's a "federalist, I do believe there is enough evidence of compromised processes and break downs in election integrity by certain state legislatures that do in fact warrant a closer examination."At first glance, Garcia's decision to join his colleagues in challenging President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory isn't particularly noteworthy. There are more than 140 House Republicans who are on board, as well as a dozen known senators who plan on supporting them. But Garcia doesn't appear to fit the mold of a lawmaker attempting to satisfy a voter base "in deep red districts" calling for their representatives to do something about unfounded allegations of widespread voter fraud. Instead, Garcia narrowly eked out a narrow November victory in a district that Biden won by around 10 percent.> This is notable because Garcia won by 0.2 percentage points in November. The Kraken stuff is not just from members in deep-red districts. https://t.co/nVeapjxDGB> > — Jeff Dufour (@dcdufour) January 4, 2021Theoretically, embracing this movement could mean Garcia is risking certain swing voters down the line, and his 2020 returns suggest he doesn't have a huge safety net.More stories from theweek.com Why Trump may have Lindsey Graham to blame for Raffensperger call recording Hawley and Cruz: How to lie without quite lying Rep. Kay Granger tests positive for COVID-19 after receiving 1st vaccine dose

  • Warrant: Officers tried to buy gun from man shot by police

    Investigators were trying to buy a high-capacity pistol from Dolal Idd with help from a confidential informant before the 23-year old was killed in an exchange of gunfire with Minneapolis police last week, according to search warrant documents released Monday. The shootout ensued Wednesday night when police moved in to arrest the Eden Prairie man at a south Minneapolis gas station, the documents said. Idd died at the scene.

  • New York, Florida tell hospitals to dispense COVID-19 vaccines quicker or lose supply

    The U.S. federal government has distributed more than 13 million vaccine doses to states and territories around the country, but only around 4 million have actually been administered, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last updated on Saturday. New York Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker notified hospitals of the potential actions in a letter on Sunday, Cuomo told reporters. "I don't want the vaccine in a fridge or a freezer, I want it in somebody's arm," he said.

  • ‘He works for me’: Trump jealously hits out at favourable media coverage of Fauci

    Dr Fauci has already been included by President-elect Joe Biden in his health team

  • Pelosi supporters 'a little nervous' about House speaker vote but believe enough lawmakers will be present

    With the 117th Congress set to be sworn in Sunday, some Democrats are feeling "a little nervous" about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) chances of retaining the gavel, Rep. Filemon (D-Texas) told The Hill. The concern is over whether enough lawmakers will actually show up to give her the required majority of those present and voting. If they do, she's on track to win as expected.Filemon said the worries stem from the coronavirus pandemic, and Democrats are hoping no one falls ill before the vote. Reps. Gwen Moore (D-Wisc.) and Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) tested positive for COVID-19 in late December, though Larsen is out of quarantine. And although it's unclear, it sounds as if Moore will be free from isolation as well, with Politico's Jake Sherman reporting that 221 out of the 222 Democratic members of the new House are expected to be present. Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.), who is being treated for pancreatic cancer, will not be at the Capitol.> NEWS on Dem attendance. Alcee Hastings, an ailing Florida Dem, is not going to make it to the speaker vote today. Jamie Raskin, who recently lost his son, is going to make it. > > Democrats believe they’ll have 221 present today. > > Pelosi needs a majority of present and voting> > — Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) January 3, 2021If there are indeed 221 Democrats on hand, as well as all 211 Republicans, Pelosi could only afford to have four Democrats vote for someone else, The Hill notes. While there may be a few Democrats who don't back Pelosi, they may vote "present," which essentially renders them absent. They would not be counted against the final tally, likely allowing her to capture the majority. There's also no guarantee every Republican will be there."I think she'll win," Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) said of Pelosi. "But I'm just not sure how she gets there." Read more at The Hill.More stories from theweek.com Why Trump may have Lindsey Graham to blame for Raffensperger call recording Hawley and Cruz: How to lie without quite lying Rep. Kay Granger tests positive for COVID-19 after receiving 1st vaccine dose

  • Iran  seizes South Korean tanker and begins uranium enrichment to 20 per cent in fresh confrontations

    Iran provoked fresh confrontations with the West today by seizing an oil tanker in the Persian Gulf and confirming it would further enrich the raw materials for a nuclear bomb, in violation of international agreements. South Korea mobilised its forces in the Strait of Hormuz and dispatched an anti-piracy unit to the Gulf on Monday afternoon after a ship bearing its flag, the MT Hankuk Chemi, was intercepted off the coast of Oman and escorted into Iranian waters. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) later confirmed it had seized the vessel and detained its crew in the southern port of Bandar Abbas, "due to the repeated infringement of maritime environmental laws". Iranian media reported that the ship, which was carrying 7,200 tonnes of oil chemical products from Saudi Arabia to Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates, had been “polluting the Persian Gulf with chemicals”.

  • Biden says if Warnock and Ossoff are elected, “those $2,000 checks will go out the door”

    While campaigning in Georgia before tomorrow’s runoff elections, President-elect Joe Biden said Americans could receive $2,000 COVID-19 relief checks if Democratic candidates Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock are elected to the Senate.

  • Flawless Floor Mirrors for Every At-Home OOTD Pic

    Here’s looking at you, kidOriginally Appeared on Architectural Digest

  • Prosecutor: Wisconsin pharmacist thought vaccine was unsafe

    A Wisconsin pharmacist convinced the world was “crashing down” told police he tried to ruin hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine because he believed the shots would mutate people’s DNA, according to court documents released Monday. Police in Grafton, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Milwaukee, arrested Advocate Aurora Health pharmacist Steven Brandenburg last week following an investigation into the 57 spoiled vials of the Moderna vaccine, which officials say contained enough doses to inoculate more than 500 people. “He’d formed this belief they were unsafe,” Ozaukee County District Attorney Adam Gerol said during a virtual hearing.

  • GOP congressmembers won't reject Electoral College vote because party 'depends' on it for presidential wins

    Republican House members against an attempt to oppose the certification of the Electoral College's vote are saying the quiet part of their argument very, very loud.A coalition of 11 GOP senators are planning to join with some House Republicans to oppose the certification of President-elect Joe Biden's win on Wednesday, giving debunked claims of election fraud as their reasoning. But another group of seven House congressmembers warned against undermining trust in the Electoral College, saying in a Monday statement that doing so could cost the party its only chance to win a future presidential election.Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.), Ken Buck (R-Colo.), Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc.) Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), and Chip Roy (R-Texas) released their joint statement Monday, claiming they do believe "significant abuses in our election system" took place in 2020. The U.S. electoral system should guarantee "only legal votes are cast to select its leaders" and the electors who formally choose them, the statement said. "But only the states have authority to appoint electors," and after they do so, Congress can only count their votes, the group wrote. "To take action otherwise" only "strengthen[s] the efforts of those on the left" who want to end the Electoral College altogether.From there, the groups gets specific about the "purely partisan" side of their argument. Republican presidential candidates have only won the popular vote once in the past 32 years, relying on the Electoral College for the majority of their wins. "If we perpetuate the notion that Congress may disregard certified electoral votes ... we will be delegitimizing the very system that led Donald Trump to victory in 2016, and that could provide the only path to victory in 2024," the congressmembers finished.Top intelligence officials and former Attorney General William Barr have affirmed there is no evidence of election-altering fraud in the 2020 election.More stories from theweek.com Why Trump may have Lindsey Graham to blame for Raffensperger call recording Hawley and Cruz: How to lie without quite lying Rep. Kay Granger tests positive for COVID-19 after receiving 1st vaccine dose

  • Chanting anti-US slogans, Iraqi militia supporters mark year since Soleimani's killing

    BAGHDAD (Reuters) -Tens of thousands of supporters of Iranian-backed Iraqi paramilitary groups chanted anti-American slogans in central Baghdad on Sunday to mark the anniversary of the U.S. killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and an Iraqi militia commander. The gathering coincided with increasing tensions between Iran and the United States in the last days of President Donald Trump's administration, and many in the crowd demanded revenge. Soleimani, head of an elite overseas unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, was killed along with Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis on Jan. 3, 2020, in a U.S. drone strike on his convoy at Baghdad airport.

  • Angela Merkel 'blocked bid to secure more coronavirus vaccine'

    Angela Merkel came under fire on Monday after it emerged she intervened personally to block a bid by European health ministers to secure larger orders of coronavirus vaccine over the summer. Public anger is growing across the continent at the European Union’s failure to order enough doses of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine which was developed in Germany and manufactured in Belgium. But it now appears Mrs Merkel blocked an initiative by the German, French, Italian and Dutch health ministers to order more stocks of vaccine last summer. Bild newspaper published a leaked letter from the four health ministers to Ursula von der Leyen in which they agreed to drop the initiative and hand over control of vaccine orders to the European Commission. According to the newspaper, the letter was written under pressure from Mrs Merkel, who wanted to send a signal of solidarity at the start of Germany’s six-month EU presidency. “We believe that it is of utmost importance to have a common joint and single approach towards the various pharmaceutical companies,” the four ministers wrote. “We also consider that speed is of the essence in this case. So we deem it very useful if the Commission takes the lead in this process.”

  • Businessman and family die when plane hits Michigan house

    A small plane flying from Georgia crashed into a house in southeastern Michigan, killing the pilot and two family members. The victims were David S. Compo, the former president of the Home Builders Association of Southeastern Michigan, his wife Michele and their son Dawson, the association said in a news release. The Federal Aviation Administration said a single-engine Piper PA-24 Comanche crashed in a residential area at 3:47 p.m. Saturday, roughly half a mile from Oakland Southwest Airport, according to preliminary information.

  • Pittsburgh police investigate 2 explosions less than 2 hours apart

    No injuries were reported, but a parked vehicle was damaged, Pittsburgh police said.

  • Rep. Kay Granger tests positive for COVID-19 after receiving 1st vaccine dose

    Rep. Kay Granger (R-Tex.) has tested positive for COVID-19, a spokesperson announced in a statement Monday. The 77-year old Granger is the 49th member of Congress to contract the virus.Granger was apparently tested when she arrived in Washington, D.C., for the start of the 117th Congress on Sunday, where she was on the House floor mingling with her colleagues and later voted in the House speaker election. It was only afterwards that she found out about her result, her spokesperson said in the statement. She is now quarantining. Granger did receive a COVID-19 vaccine in December. It's not clear how long ago exactly that occurred, though she was scheduled to receive her second dose later this week. Still, her office suggested that getting vaccinated was beneficial. "Having received the vaccine in December, she is asymptomatic and feeling great," the statement reads. > Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) is now the latest member of Congress with COVID-19.> > The first to test positive after getting a vaccine dose, and the 49th overall. pic.twitter.com/UU0US8DfEX> > -- Cristina Marcos (@cimarcos) January 4, 2021More stories from theweek.com Why Trump may have Lindsey Graham to blame for Raffensperger call recording Hawley and Cruz: How to lie without quite lying What do we do about COVID vaccine refusal?

  • Top Georgia election official says White House pushed him to take Trump call

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Georgia's top election official said on Monday that fellow Republican President Donald Trump had pushed him to take an "inappropriate" call in which he pressured the state to overturn his November presidential election defeat there. In the call on Saturday, Trump told Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" enough votes to overturn his election loss in the southern state, according to a recording published by U.S. media. Two Democratic members of Congress asked FBI Director Christopher Wray on Monday to investigate the call.

  • The Earth is spinning faster now than at any time in the past half century

    If 2020 felt like a drag, you may be surprised to discover it actually went faster than you thought ... and this year is set to be even speedier. The Earth has been spinning unusually quickly lately, and July 19 saw the shortest day since records began, with the planet completing its rotation in 1.4602 milliseconds less than the usual 86,400 seconds. The previous shortest day in 2005 was beaten 28 times last year, and 2021 is on track to be the most nippy year ever, with the average day passing 0.5 milliseconds faster than usual. The changes to the length of a standard day were only discovered after highly accurate atomic clocks were developed in the 1960s and compared to fixed stars in the sky. In recent decades, Earth's average rotational speed has consistently decreased and timekeepers have been forced to add 27 leap seconds to atomic time since the 1970s to keep clocks in sync with the slowing planet. The last one was added on New Year’s Eve 2016, when clocks around the world paused for a second to allow the Earth’s rotation to catch up. Then, BT's speaking clock added a second's pause before its third pip while Radio 4 inserted an extra pip to its 1am bulletin.

  • Militants attack bus in central Syria, killing 9

    Militants ambushed buses traveling down a highway in central Syria late Sunday, killing nine people, including a 13-year-old girl, state media reported. The ambush is the second this week to target buses traveling between government-controlled areas and to be blamed on suspected Islamic State militants. Islamic State militants were believed to be behind that attack.

  • A group of Cuban migrants landed in Key West on New Year’s Day, and now face a return

    Twelve Cuban migrants landed in Key West late New Year’s Day in a homemade boat that U.S. Border Patrol agents said was in poor condition.