WASHINGTON—In a last-gasp attempt to overturn the November election—and the U.S. Constitution with it—a group of congressional Republicans launched a futile effort on Jan. 6 to nullify Democratic President-elect Joe Biden’s win then.
Other lawmakers from both parties denounced their move and constitutional scholars called it sedition and the greatest challenge to the U.S. governmental system since the South rebelled and withdrew from the U.S. in the winter of 1860-61.
“If this isn’t an attempted coup, then what is it?” New York Times columnist Charles Blow tweeted.
Led by Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas—both eyeing a GOP presidential run in 2024—the lawmakers in both houses of Congress challenged the electoral votes from key swing states the former VP won. States under fire include Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona, and Michigan.
Their challenges forced the Democratic-run House and the GOP-controlled Senate to quickly adjourn the formal electoral vote counting session on Jan. 6, and spend up to three hours of debate per challenge before votes in each chamber.
Those votes were expected to fail, as even scads of the Senate’s ruling Republicans denounced the travesty. But the sessions could last far into the night.
The congressional GOP circus also energized the mob of backers of Republican Oval Office incumbent Donald Trump swirling around the U.S. Capitol. The thousands of Trumpites, like their leader, falsely claim the election was rigged, vote fraud was massive and Trump really won.
The last time the Trumpites hit town, on Dec. 12 after the U.S. Supreme Court, including the three Trump-named justices, threw out the definitive challenge, to Pennsylvania’s votes, the white nationalist-dominated mob rioted in the capital’s streets.
Trump planned to address the crowd. His tweets had urged them to come—and prompted some calls for his re-impeachment before Biden is scheduled to take over on Jan. 20.
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