Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) announced on Wednesday that he would object during Congress’ certification of the Electoral College results on January 6, on the basis of President Donald Trump’s lies claiming that the 2020 election was corrupted by mass voter fraud.
“Millions of voters concerned about election integrity deserve to be heard,” Hawley, who is expected to campaign for president in 2024, tweeted with an official statement on his decision. “I will object on January 6 on their behalf.”
Parroting Trump’s evidence-free accusations of election fraud, Hawley said he would not vote for certification during the joint session “without raising the fact that some states, particularly Pennsylvania, failed to follow their own state election laws.”
The GOP senator also pledged to “point out” what he baselessly claimed was an “unprecedented effort of mega corporations, including Facebook and Twitter, to interfere in this election in support of Joe Biden.”
“At the very least, Congress should investigate allegations of voter fraud and adopt measures to secure the integrity of our elections,” he said. “But Congress has so far failed to act.”
Though Hawley’s objection, along with that of several House Republicans, will not prevent Congress from officially cementing President-elect Biden’s victory, the gambit signals an endorsement of Trump’s anti-democratic attempt to steal the election.
