Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, won’t join his Republican colleagues who plan on challenging the Electoral College certification process, the Daily Caller reports.
Congress will meet on Wednesday for the certification process, which is expected to seal Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.
“The Constitution created a system for electing the President through the Electoral College that ensures the people and the states hold the power, not Congress. I cannot support allowing Congress to thwart the will of the voters,” Portman said in a statement released on Monday.
“The only time this was attempted in the past 70 years was in 2005 when Democrats objected to the electors from my home state of Ohio, hoping to give the presidency to John Kerry instead of George W. Bush. I stood in opposition to Democrats then, saying Congress should not ‘obstruct the will of the American people.’ I was concerned then that Democrats were establishing a dangerous precedent where Congress would inappropriately assert itself to try to reverse the will of the voters,” Portman continued.
He concluded his statement by stating he “cannot now support Republicans doing the same thing. Over the course of my public service career I have taken the same oath on numerous occasions, swearing to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. I plan on honoring that oath by supporting the state certifications and the will of the people. I will vote to certify in accordance with my duty under the Constitution.”
GOP Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri was the first senator to say he would object to the counting of the Electoral College vote. There are about a dozen senators who announced they would voice objections.
But Portman won’t be alone in staying silent. Republican Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton also said he will not challenge the process.
Marisa Herman ✉
Marisa Herman, a Newsmax senior reporter, focuses on major and investigative stories. A University of Florida graduate, she has more than a decade of experience as a reporter for newspapers, magazines, and websites.
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