Some Republicans on Sunday still refused to discourage President Trump from waging more of his fruitless lawsuits challenging election results, despite the Supreme Court’s rejection of Texas attorney general Ken Paxton’s (R) lawsuit suing four swing states that President-elect Joe Biden won and the Electoral College scheduled to make Biden’s victory official on Monday.
During an interview that aired Sunday morning on “Fox & Friends Weekend,” Trump said he doesn’t plan to stop pursuing his long-shot bid for a second term, despite the Supreme Court’s rejection of Paxton’s lawsuit on Friday.
“No, it’s not over. We keep going. And we’re going to continue to go forward,” Trump told “Fox and Friends” in a taped interview on Saturday ahead of an Army-Navy football game at West Point, New York.
On Sunday morning, Republicans appeared unwilling to decry Trump’s legal battles contesting the legitimacy of Biden’s win even on the eve of the Electoral College voting to seal the President-elect’s victory:
House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA)
Scalise told Fox News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace that he plans to continue backing efforts to challenge the election results even after the Electoral College cements Biden’s win on Monday.
When Wallace confronted him about his and other congressional Republicans’ support of the Texas attorney general’s lawsuit that would have thrown out the results of the presidential election in four key swing states, Scalise insisted that “nobody wants any votes thrown out.”
Scalise argued that the Supreme Court “said Texas didn’t have standing” and added that “they didn’t say they were going to address the merits,” suggesting that the court wasn’t willing to get embroiled in a such politically charged issue.
Pressed on why he’s not willing to recognize Biden as President-elect nor willing to decry challenges against the election results, despite how the Electoral College will seal Biden’s victory on Monday, Scalise deflected by saying that Biden “has been going through a transition with President Trump supporting him.”
Trump has still refused to concede even after General Services Administrator Emily Murphy finally green lighted Biden’s formal transition weeks after the President-elect was projected to return to the White House.
“Let’s let this legal process play itself out … if you want to restore trust by millions of people who are still very frustrated and angry about what happened, that’s why you got to have this whole system play out,” Scalise said.
Steve Scalise, who supported Trump's effort to disenfranchise millions of Biden voters for no good reason, won't commit to recognizing Joe Biden as President-elect even after the Electoral College votes pic.twitter.com/rlrIqw8OcS
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 13, 2020
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Although Alexander told MSNBC that he hopes President Trump “puts the country first” now that “courts have resolved the disputes” and “it looks very much like the electors will vote for Joe Biden,” the Tennessee Republican stopped short of suggesting that Trump stop waging his legal battles that have failed to gain steam.
Alexander deflected by saying that on Monday, when the Electoral College votes to cement Biden’s win,” it should stop.”
“I mean, remember, it’s not unprecedented to contest an election. Al Gore took 37 days, I believe, to contest before he finally conceded,” Alexander said. “And then he made the best speech of his life respecting the result, which is what I hope the president will do if the electors vote for Joe Biden on Monday, which it is apparent they will.”
After “Meet the Press” anchor Chuck Todd pointed out that Trump has shown no indication he will stop waging his fruitless legal battles, Alexander replied “let’s wait and see.”
“I mean, the President did say that if the electors voted for Joe Biden, he’d leave on January the 20th, which he should do,” Alexander said. “But what I would hope he would remember is that people remember the last thing you do. And I hope that the last thing he does if Joe Biden, as is expected, is elected on Monday, is to take pride in his accomplishments.”
Alexander later added that “everything up to Monday is a projection.”
“So I think it’s appropriate to allow the President to challenge, if he has evidence, the cases,” Alexander said. “But then when it’s over, it’s over. And it should be over Monday.”
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
During an interview on CNN, Cassidy dodged when asked if it’s time for Republicans to accept the reality that Biden will be the next president.
Cassidy pointed to GSA chief Emily Murphy finally green lighting Biden’s formal transition last month after weeks of refusing to do so.
Cassidy bragged that Trump “instructed” the GSA chief to begin Biden’s transition process — despite Murphy denying that she had been pressured by the White House to stonewall the President-elect’s formal transition. Trump, however, contradicted Murphy by claiming that he “recommended” to the GSA chief that she issue an ascertainment.
Cassidy said that Biden is the President-elect, but that the GOP is a “law and order party” and the country is “a nation of a Constitution” with “laws and courts that interpret those laws.”
Cassidy added that he has “more confidence in the courts than ever” because of the slew of federal judges appointed by Trump.
“And so, as we’re a nation of laws, and this is the Constitution, and this is the law, and this is how it breaks out, and the courts have ruled, then President Biden’s going to be our next president,” Cassidy said.
GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy on Pres. Trump's recent efforts to thwart the election results: "I will note that when the President instructed the General Services Administration to begin the transition process… that was an acknowledgment that a transition was taking place" #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/39WVhpNwjN
— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) December 13, 2020
