On Sunday, January 3, four Republican senators joined in signing a statement calling on Congress to ratify the results of the November 3 presidential election, which was won by Democrat Joe Biden.
The statement, co-signed by Republican Senators Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Bill Cassidy and Mitt Romney, said, "Voters have said their word, and Congress must now fulfill its responsibility to certify the election results."
The statement was also signed by Democratic Senators Joe Mansin, Mark Warner, Jane Shaheen, Maggie Hassan and Dick Durban. It was also signed by independent member Angus King.
A court ruling cuts the way to electoral fraud
The four-member’s move comes as a US appeals court on Saturday rejected a Republican congressman’s request that Vice President Mike Pence be allowed to annul President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election.
A three-judge panel in the Fifth Circuit in the Court of Appeals upheld a federal judge's decision on Friday to dismiss Representative Louis Gomart's claim that Pence had the power to nullify Biden's victory when Congress meets on Wednesday to formally certify the election result.
While US President Donald Trump claims without evidence that the elections witnessed widespread fraud and has so far refused to concede defeat.
Trump's close ally, Gomart, filed the lawsuit with Arizona Republicans, saying Pence had the power to reject the electoral college votes ex officio in the Senate.
Republican rally against Biden
US Senator Ted Cruz said on Saturday that he would lead an effort with 10 Republicans in the Senate to object to President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the presidential elections when the results of the Electoral College vote are reviewed in Congress on January 6, in a largely symbolic move. She has little chance of preventing Biden from taking office.
Cruz's endeavor is challenging other Senate Republican leaders who say the House's role in certifying election results is largely ceremonial, and they look to avoid a protracted debate over the results in Congress.
Senator Ted Cruz and 10 other members of the Senate said in a statement that they intend to vote to reject the election results in swing states that President Donald Trump claims have witnessed fraud, but has not provided evidence. Members said Congress should immediately appoint a committee to conduct an emergency review of election results in those states within ten days.
The members also said in the statement, "As soon as (the review) is completed, each state will evaluate the results of the committee, and a special parliamentary session may be held to approve the change of voting results if necessary." Cruz’s office said it was not yet clear which states would come under the proposed scrutiny.
Democratic condemnation of the attempts
On the other hand, Democrats and some moderate Republicans denounced seeking to challenge the result, describing it as an undemocratic measure.
Biden campaign spokesman Michael Gwen described the move as a play unsupported by any evidence. "This ruse will not change the reality that President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn in on January 20," Gwen said. "The attorney general appointed by Trump and dozens of courts and election officials from both parties have rejected these baseless allegations."
Biden beat Trump by 306 votes to 232 in the electoral college.
On December 15, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell acknowledged Biden's victory and urged his Republican comrades not to contest the outcome on January 6.