Cruz Is Leading A Group Of Senators To Object To 2020 Election Certification

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-TX is reportedly orchestrating the push just days before the joint session of Congress on Wednesday to officially approve the Electoral College votes electing former Vice President Joe Biden.

The senators charge that the November 3 election "featured unprecedented allegations of voter fraud and illegal conduct."

The Trump campaign has exposed instances of election fraud in various states, and has challenged the results in dozens of lawsuits. The president maintains that he beat Biden in the election.

The other senators joining Cruz include: Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wis.; James Lankford, R-Okla.; Steve Daines, R-Mont.; John Kennedy, R-La.; Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Mike Braun, R-Ind.; as well as Sens.-elect Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.; Roger Marshall, R-Kansas; Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., and Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.

"Voter fraud has posed a persistent challenge in our elections, although its breadth and scope are disputed," the lawmakers said Saturday in a statement. "By any measure, the allegations of fraud and irregularities in the 2020 election exceed any in our lifetimes."

The lawmakers also pointed out there is a precedent of Democrats objecting to election results in 1969, 2001, 2005 and 2019. "And, in both 1969 and 2005, a Democratic Senator joined with a Democratic House Member in forcing votes in both houses on whether to accept the presidential electors being challenged," the said.

The group is calling for Congress to appoint a commission to conduct a 10-day emergency audit of the election returns in states where the results are disputed. They cite as precedent the 1877 race between Samuel Tilden and Rutherford Hayes in which there were allegations of fraud in multiple states.

The group pointed out that "Congress appointed an Electoral Commission -- consisting of five Senators, five House Members, and five Supreme Court Justices -- to consider and resolve the disputed returns.

"We should follow that precedent. To wit, Congress should immediately appoint an Electoral Commission, with full investigatory and fact-finding authority, to conduct an emergency 10-day audit of the election returns in the disputed states. Once completed, individual states would evaluate the Commission’s findings and could convene a special legislative session to certify a change in their vote, if needed."

The lawmakers say they will object to the electoral college certification if the audit is not conducted. "We intend to vote on January 6 to reject the electors from disputed states as not ‘regularly given’ and ‘lawfully certified’ (the statutory requisite)," they said in the statement. "Unless and until that emergency 10-day audit is completed."

To the president's chagrin, senate GOP leaders are against efforts to challenge Biden's win, with McConnell urging Republicans behind closed doors not to contest the election results.

Another senator Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., also said earlier this week, that he will object to what he claims was the failure of some states -- most notably Pennsylvania -- to follow their own election laws.

Reacting to Ted Cruz' tweet about the group's announcement, President Trump tweeted, "an attempt to steal a landslide win. Can't let it happen."