Rep. Buchanan hints at support for Republican attempt to reject Biden certification
As elected officials in Washington prepare for a Jan. 6 showdown in which several Republicans plan to take a stand against certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, Rep. Vern Buchanan hinted at supporting their cause.
A growing faction of Republican lawmakers has promised to reject the Electoral College tallies unless Congress agrees to audit the election results, pointing specifically at states where President Donald Trump and his allies have made unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud.
Reached for comment Monday afternoon, Buchanan didn’t offer a straightforward response but pointed to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s comments from more than 15 years ago, when she debated election reform on the House floor following former President George W. Bush’s 2004 re-election.
“For anyone who thinks Congress lacks the moral or constitutional authority to question the Election College certification, I refer you to Nancy Pelosi’s statement in 2005 when she called such an action ‘democracy at work,’” Buchanan said in a prepared statement.
“Pelosi supported fellow Democrats who were challenging George W. Bush’s certification, saying ‘The representatives of the American people in this House are standing up for three fundamental American beliefs: the right to vote is sacred; that a representative has a duty to represent his or her constituents and that the rule of law is the hallmark of our nation.’” he continued, referring to comments Pelosi made on the House floor on Jan. 6, 2005. “I intend to follow Wednesday’s debate in Congress with Nancy Pelosi’s words in mind.”
An official transcript of Pelosi’s comments paints a different picture of her intentions. Pelosi clarified that her effort was not to overturn the election, as Trump has pressured his allies to do but to discuss election reform.
“This is not in any way about rejecting that outcome. So, please, let us be respectful of each other and understand what it is about. Today’s electoral challenge is not intended to overturn the results of the election,” Pelosi said at the time. “It is instead to discuss the real problems with our electoral system and the failings of the process in Ohio and elsewhere. It is about election reform, not about the election result.”
In a statement posted to Twitter on Dec. 15, Buchanan acknowledged Biden as the nation’s president-elect and pointed to Trump’s legal right to challenge Biden’s victory.
“The electoral college has fulfilled its constitutional role in certifying the election of Joe Biden as President-elect,” the statement said. “As we respect the Constitution so should we respect the rule of law affording the president the right to legal challenges.”
Buchanan also distanced himself from a Texas lawsuit that challenged the results of the election. More than 120 Republicans had signed onto the brief before the case was dismissed by the Supreme Court.
Congress is set to host a joint session on Wednesday to confirm Biden’s Electoral College victory.
