Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) announced Tuesday that they will not object as Congress convenes Wednesday when it is expected to certify the Electoral College in favor of President-elect Joe Biden.
“My job on Wednesday is clear, and there are only two things I am permitted to do under the Constitution: ensure the electors are properly certified and count the electoral votes, even when I disagree with the outcome,” Inhofe said in the statement. “To challenge a state’s certification, given how specific the Constitution is, would be a violation of my oath of office—that is not something I am willing to do and is not something Oklahomans would want me to do.”
In a separate statement, Scott said he will also vote to certify Biden as winner of the Electoral College.
“As I read the Constitution, there is no constitutionally viable means for the Congress to overturn an election wherein the states have certified and sent their Electors,” Scott said in a statement first obtained by Axios.
The South Carolina Republican added: “Some of my colleagues believe they have found a path, and while our opinions differ, I do not doubt their good intentions to take steps towards stamping out voter fraud. Importantly, I disagree with their method both in principle and in practice. For their theory to work, Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats would have to elect Donald Trump president rather than Joe Biden. That it is not going to happen, not today or any other day.”
The Republican senators’ announcements comes after fellow Republican senators Mitt Romney (UT), Pat Toomey (PA) and Lisa Murkowski (AK) also stated they will oppose efforts to challenge the Electoral College’s certification.
“I will vote to affirm the 2020 presidential election. The courts and state legislatures have all honored their duty to hear legal allegations and have found nothing to warrant overturning the results. I urge my colleagues from both parties to recognize this and to join me in maintaining confidence in the Electoral College and our elections,” Murkowski said.
Conversely, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) announced on Saturday that he will lead a group of Republican senators in objecting to the election certification. Those joining the Texas Republican are: Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Steve Daines (R-MT), John Kennedy (R-LA), Mike Braun (R-IN), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL).
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) was the first Republican senator to announce his opposition to certifying the election results.
On Monday, Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and David Perdue, both locked in fierce U.S. Senate runoff elections Tuesday, will also object in at least one state.
“Elections are the bedrock of our democracy and the American people deserve to be 100% confident in our election systems and its outcomes. But right now, tens of millions of Americans have real concerns about the way in which the November Presidential election was conducted—and I share their concerns,” Loeffler said in a Monday statement first obtained by Fox News.
“The American people deserve a platform in Congress, permitted under the Constitution, to have election issues presented so that they can be addressed,” the Georgia Republican continued. “That’s why, on January 6th, I will vote to give President Trump and the American people the fair hearing they deserve and support the objection to the Electoral College certification process.”
“We must restore trust, confidence and integrity in our election system,” she concluded.
In addition, at least 140 House Republicans are also expected to object to certifying the election results.
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