Congress Members, Senators Raise Objections to Electoral Votes, at Joint Session of Congress

Jan. 6 , 2021 (EIRNS)—Nancy Pelosi opened the Joint Session of Congress with the majesty and dignity the event demanded, by scolding the Republicans for standing too close together and not abiding by the rule that a maximum of 11 members of each party from each of the two houses be present. Having graced the chamber with her remarks, she turned the proceedings over to the President of the Senate, Mike Pence.

The electoral votes from Alabama and Alaska were counted, with much solemnity but no fanfare. When the votes from Arizona were counted, Congressman Paul Gosar of Arizona, on behalf of himself and 60 other Members of Congress, rose to object. A written objection, also signed by Senator Ted Cruz, was presented, stating that the votes were not “regularly given.”

The senators returned to their own chamber to debate the objection, presented by Cruz. The debate started with Cruz arguing for his proposal to create an impartial body to examine the evidence presented by both sides, because unless the evidence is heard, the election would lack legitimacy and be doubted by a major section of the electorate. Two senators each from both parties (the Senate Majority and Minority leaders, Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer, Pennsylvania’s Pat Toomey and Minnesota’s Amy Klobuchar) then proceeded to express their horror at allowing a discussion of election fraud, with McConnell posing the issue as “whether the Congress should overrule the voters, and overturn a presidential election.”

On the House side, after Pelosi opened the debate with more scolding of Republicans, Republican Representatives began presenting the evidence of fraud which the courts had refused to hear, alternating with scandalized Democrats.

Minority Whip Steve Scalise, from Louisiana, spoke first, to point to Article II, Section 1, and the fact that the elections were conducted not according to laws passed by the legislatures, but by executive branch and judicial officials. Zoe Lofgren spoke to the danger of creating a condition where the president would be elected by Congress, rather than the people. She quoted the 12th Amendment, which gives the Vice President the simple role of opening envelopes. Although she repeated the lie that the 2020 election was “the most secure election in modern history,” Lofgren pointed out that since there were no alternate slates of electors submitted from any state, there was no point in debating the votes, since there were no alternative votes to use instead.

Ohio’s Jim Jordan contrasted Biden’s rallies with 50 people, with those of Trump, which attracted up to 50,000 people. There are 60 million Americans who think the election was stolen. “Why no hearings in the House?” he asked. Reviewing the frauds of Comey, Mueller, and the unceasing investigations and impeachment of Donald Trump, Jordan pointed to the stolen election as just another step in the assault on Trump, carried out with the same pattern in each of the contested states, citing the case of Pennsylvania, in particular. Arizona’s Andy Biggs spoke of how the Arizona state legislature requested a special session be called to review the election fraud, which the Governor refused to call. He detailed several of the most egregious election violations and the numbers of ballots affected in each, and submitted 1,000 affidavits and declarations of violations witnessed, 32,000 voter registrations accepted after the date specified by law, and other evidence, to be entered into the record.

While fellow Arizonan Paul Gosar then argued the necessity for a forensic audit of his state’s vote, the entire proceeding was called to a halt because protesters had broken into the Capitol building, heading for the House and Senate chambers.