Republican objections to Biden win are ‘crossing the line,’ SC’s Clyburn says
South Carolina’s U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn said Tuesday that Wednesday’s efforts by some Republicans to object to the certification of President-Elect Joe Biden’s win is “crossing the line.”
In multiple interviews Tuesday, the Columbia Democrat argued that those objections to the ElectoralCollege certification will be largely fruitless.
“We know what the results are, so there’s not going to be any change in any of that,” said Clyburn, who added the objection will only “prolong the process.”
Dozens of Republicans in the House and Senate, including four members of South Carolina’s House delegation, have vowed to object to the certification Wednesday. Most of their objections center around allegations of massive voter fraud that could have swayed the results of the election. However, there has been no proof of such widespread fraud.
The objections will trigger a debate and a vote on certification in both the House and the Senate that will last hours.
Ultimately, there is virtually no chance Republicans could change the results of the election as they would need a majority in both chambers. The House is Democrat-controlled, and several Republican senators have already acknowledged Biden’s win.
Republican leadership was initially hoping to avoid the confrontation.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, warned his Senate colleagues earlier this month not to dispute the Electoral College certification because doing so could trigger a vote, leaving Republicans to have to publicly sound off on whether they believe the unproven allegations of voter fraud.
“I would say to them to remember that this country’s greatness depends in large measure of how we go about our business protecting the integrity of our democracy,” Clyburn said on MSNBC. “When we see faults in our electoral system, whatever it might be, we should go about the business of repairing those faults, not trying to circumvent them or not trying to replace our own feelings for what people may have done on Election Day.”
This story was originally published January 5, 2021 at 3:00 PM.
