Elections

Increasing number of GOP lawmakers to contest Electoral College vote

Published

2 years ago

December 23, 2020

President Donald Trump reportedly met on Monday with several House Republicans to discuss a plan to contest President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College votes as they are certified in Congress Jan. 6. Since then, a number of GOP lawmakers have pledged to contest the results.

SPOTTED in the West Wing today: GOP members like @mtgreenee, @mattgaetz, @Jim_Jordan, @RepMoBrooks, @replouiegohmert.

They met with the president, multiple sources told me.
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) December 21, 2020

Several members of Congress just finished a meeting in the Oval Office with President @realDonaldTrump, preparing to fight back against mounting evidence of voter fraud.

Stay tuned.
— Mark Meadows (@MarkMeadows) December 21, 2020

Biden is expected to be declared the winner, despite claims of widespread election fraud.

In order to successfully contest the election results, both the House and the Senate need to agree to reject electors, which is unlikely since the House is controlled by Democrats and several Senate Republicans have recognized Biden as the presidential winner.

Trump has continued to support the effort to contest the results, and is joined by many lawmakers.

Texas Rep. Brian Babin said on Twitter Monday that he will object to the results if Congress does not look into the voter fraud allegations. Babin also wrote a letter, signed by 20 Republicans, to congressional leadership demanding action.

“Confidence in our elections must be restored. If Congress doesn’t act, on Jan 6 I’ll object to the electoral college vote submissions on the House floor on behalf of the millions of Americans, myself included, who don’t trust the validity of this election,” Babin wrote.

Confidence in our elections must be restored. If Congress doesn't act, on Jan 6 I'll object to the electoral college vote submissions on the House floor on behalf of the millions of Americans, myself included, who don't trust the validity of this election. https://t.co/wC86vzPx45
— Brian Babin (@RepBrianBabin) December 21, 2020

North Carolina Rep. Ted Budd echoed Babin’s statement, tweeting that he also plans on objecting the results.

Yes, I plan to object on January 6th.

MILLIONS of Americans saw what I saw:

– Voter safeguards removed
– No signature verification
– Outdated voter rolls
– Ballots accepted after Election Day
– Poll watchers denied access
#WeThePeople will keep fighting for @realDonaldTrump.
— Congressman Ted Budd (@RepTedBudd) December 22, 2020

Congressman-elect Madison Cawthorn, NC, told a group of young activists this week that he will contest the election “based on constitutional violations by key states.”

Not doing this to help my career in Washington, in fact this will most likely harm it. But no one should go to Washington as a career. Go there to serve the people. And on behalf of the people I am contesting this election based on constitutional violations by key states. pic.twitter.com/puDmUZAbaw
— Madison Cawthorn (@CawthornforNC) December 22, 2020

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has urged Republicans not to object during Congress’s count and certification of the Electoral votes, saying it would put fellow GOP senators in a bad position.

Members of GOP leadership warn that the objection will only result in delaying the inevitable outcome.

Elections

Meta to reinstate Trump’s Facebook, Instagram ‘in coming weeks’

Published

19 hours ago

January 25, 2023

Sara Carter Staff

Meta’s president of Global Affairs Nick Clegg announced former President Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts will be reinstated “in coming weeks” after a more than two-year suspension.

“Our determination is that the risk [to public safety] has sufficiently receded,” Meta Clegg said in a blog post. “As such, we will be reinstating Mr. Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts in the coming weeks. However, we are doing so with new guardrails in place to deter repeat offenses.”

Twitter restored Trump’s account in November following its takeover by billionaire Elon Musk, but the former president has not yet resumed tweeting. Therefore it is unclear if he will use any of his former social media platforms, or instead remain on his own social media platform, Truth Social.

Clegg said “We just do not want — if he is to return to our services — for him to do what he did on January 6, which is to use our services to delegitimize the 2024 election, much as he sought to discredit the 2020 election.”

New “guardrails” include new policies around restricting accounts by public figures during civil unrest. Under those policies, Meta can decide to restrict the account of a public figure that violates its community standards for a time ranging from one month to two years.

“If he now posts further violating content, that content will be removed, of course, and he could be suspended for between one month and two years, depending on the severity of the violation,” Clegg said.

Posts will also be able to be limited on distribution without removing them or temporarily restricting access to its advertising tools. “Oblique references to QAnon content, for instance … is the kind of material that — even if it’s done obliquely, and doesn’t violate our community standards — we would seek to restrict the distribution of the content and/or restrict his ability to advertise,” added Clegg.