GOP to challenge Biden electoral victory

UNITED STATES (China Daily/ANN) -- It is so scripted by the US Constitution and the Electoral Count Act of 1887 that few members of Congress attend. But not this year.
On Wednesday, when Congress holds a joint session to count each state’s Electoral College vote to formally certify President-elect Joe Bien’s victory over President Donald Trump, about 114 Republican lawmakers in the House and at least 11 in the Senate who are allies of Trump say they will object to certifying the results from a number of states, including Nevada, Georgia and Pennsylvania.
On Sunday, The Washington Post released a transcript and audio of a call that Trump made on Saturday to Georgia’s election chief,

This combination of file pictures created on October 22, 2020 shows US President Donald Trump (left) and Democratic Presidential candidate and former US Vice President Joe Biden during the final presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, on October 22, 2020.   --Photo agencies

suggesting that he could “find’’ enough votes to overturn Biden’s win in the state and hand Trump the victory.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his office’s general counsel rejected Trump’s assertions throughout, according to the audio excerpts and the newspaper’s account.
Trump on Sunday in a tweet confirmed he had spoken to Raffensperger.
Also on Sunday, Nancy Pelosi was narrowly reelected as House speaker, giving her the reins of Democrats’ slender House of Representatives majority.
The California Democrat, who has led her party in the House since 2003 and is the only woman to be speaker, had been widely expected to retain her post. Pelosi received 216 votes to 209 for Kevin McCarthy, Republican of California, who again will be the chamber’s minority leader.
To gain her victory, Pelosi had to overcome some Democratic grumbling about her longevity, a slim 222-211 edge over Republicans after November’s elections and a handful of absences because of the coronavirus. There were two vacancies in the 435-member House, and Democrats will have the smallest House majority in two decades.
As detailed in the Electoral Count Act, if a member from the House and the Senate object to an Electoral College slate in writing, both chambers must adjourn to their respective chambers, debate the objection for a maximum of two hours and then vote on the contest.
If the Republicans lodge several objections that are accepted, it will turn what historically has been a ceremonial act into a partisan session that could stretch on for hours.

(Latest Update January 5, 2021)