Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), who is seen as a potential contender for the 2024 presidential race, on Sunday night spoke out against his GOP colleagues’ planned attempt to nullify the Electoral College’s votes when Congress officially seals President-elect Joe Biden’s victory on Wednesday.
“Under the Constitution and federal law, Congress’s power is limited to counting electoral votes submitted by the states,” Cotton said in a statement. “If Congress purported to overturn the results of the Electoral College, it would not only exceed that power, but also establish unwise precedents.”
The Republican senator warned that his colleagues’ scheme would “essentially end presidential elections,” “imperil” the Electoral College, and “take another big step toward federalizing election law.”
“I’m grateful for what the president accomplished over the past four years, which is why I campaigned vigorously for his reelection,” Cotton said. “But objecting to certified electoral votes won’t give him a second term—it will only embolden those Democrats who want to erode further our system of constitutional government.”
President Donald Trump took aim at the Arkansas Republican on Monday morning, tweeting “@SenTomCotton Republicans have pluses & minuses, but one thing is sure, THEY NEVER FORGET!”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) announced on Saturday that he and 11 other Republican senators would vote to reject electoral votes from he claimed to be “disputed states.” The Texas Republican said they would demand a commission that would carry out an “emergency 10-day audit” of the election results, which Trump and his GOP allies have furiously worked to undermine on the basis of debunked conspiracy theories about voter fraud.
“Once completed, individual states would evaluate the Commission’s findings and could convene a special legislative session to certify a change in their vote, if needed,” Cruz said.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) has also said he would object to certification.
Several other GOP senators besides Cotton have pushed back against Cruz’s ploy, such as Sens. Mitt Romney (R-UT), Susan Collins (R-ME) and even top Trump loyalist Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
In any case, Cruz and his cohorts’ crusade is all but doomed for failure, especially given the fact that the House is currently controlled by Democrats.
