Republican lawmakers and officials across the country are terrified of Donald Trump, and for one good reason: he doesn’t care about anything. He doesn’t care if the GOP goes down in flames along with him, he doesn’t care about preserving his legacy in any meaningful way, and he doesn’t care if everything he says about the 2020 election is mocked for the ridiculous, far-right conspiracy theories they are. He will gladly divide the country, work to get Republicans who wouldn’t break the rules for him voted out, break laws, and openly call to violate the U.S. Constitution without caring at all.
Current and former GOP officials condemn President Trump's effort to sow doubt in Joe Biden's win. “The 2020 election is over,” said a statement from a bipartisan group of 10 senators, including Republicans Susan Collins of Maine and Mitt Romney of Utah. https://t.co/5wKYv6Aju0
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 4, 2021
Some current and former Republican officials are still standing against his attempts to overturn the democratic process. Senators like Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) may be planning to attempt a coup to steal the election back for Trump, but they’ll do it without the support of many of their colleagues, who are trying desperately to preserve the party. In multiple statements released over the weekend, according to the Associated Press, Republican senators spoke out against those efforts.
‘The senators wrote that further attempts to cast doubt on the election are “contrary to the clearly expressed will of the American people and only serve to undermine Americans’ confidence in the already determined election results.”’
Mitt Romney on the Trump-Cruz effort to overturn the results of a certified democratic election: "I could never have imagined seeing these things in the greatest democracy in the world. Has ambition so eclipsed principle?"
— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) January 3, 2021
These efforts come despite Trump losing the election by 74 electoral college votes and more than seven million popular votes. They also come despite evidence of Trump’s more obvious attempts to overthrow the election, including leaked audio of Trump threatening the Republican secretary of state in Georgia, Brad Raffensperger, telling him he was taking “a big risk” if he doesn’t “find” more votes to put Trump over the top.
‘Despite Trump’s claims of voter fraud, state officials have insisted the elections ran smoothly and there was no evidence of fraud or other problems that would change the outcome. The states have certified their results as fair and valid. Of the more than 50 lawsuits the president and his allies have filed challenging election results, nearly all have been dismissed or dropped. He’s also lost twice at the U.S. Supreme Court.’
GOP Senator Ben Sasse: "When we talk in private, I haven’t heard a single Congressional Republican allege that the election results were fraudulent, not one”
May 2021 usher in a swift end to the grift, fraud, travesty, fascist coup attempt that is the end of the Trump regime
— Lindy Li (@lindyli) January 1, 2021
Trump’s supporters, however, are determined to condemn any Republican who won’t stand behind the president’s attempts to change the election results, which create a serious threat for any lawmaker depending on those votes to win their next election. Trump knows this and is not afraid to use it against them.
‘Trump is refusing to concede, and pressure is mounting on Vice President Mike Pence to ensure victory while presiding in what is typically a ceremonial role over the congressional session. Trump is whipping up crowds for a rally in Washington.’
Senate Republicans unload on Trump and Hawley-led effort to challenge Biden’s election certification
“I think it’s awful. I am going to support my oath to the Constitution. That’s the loyalty test here,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).https://t.co/gxWLKd4gyH
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) January 1, 2021
