A majority of the 12 Republican senators who said Saturday they will oppose certifying the votes of the state Electoral College on Wednesday skipped news program invitations to appear Sunday.
Driving the news: Jake Tapper, anchor of the “State of the Union,” said the 12 senators turned down or did not respond to an invitation to explain their objection to certification to CNN. NPR’s Lulu Garcia-Navarro also said all senators turned down invitations to appear on the “Weekend Edition.”
Only without. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who appeared on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who had a difficult exchange with host Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press,” appeared on the shows.
- Cruz, who is leading the prosecution, acknowledged to Fox News that the Supreme Court would be a better forum to litigate the challenge, while urging fellow Democrats to “just relax and do our job.” .
What it says: “I want to point out that we invited each of the twelve senators involved to plot this shameful effort to come to the program this morning to try to defend and explain their position,” Tapper said. “Each of them refused or did not respond.”
- “Everything is reminiscent of what Ulysses S. Grant wrote in 1861: ‘Now there are only two parties, traitors and patriots.’ How would you describe today’s festivities?”
The state of play: The group includes Mr. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and Mike Braun (R-Ind.), in addition to newly invested Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and Tommy Tuberville (R) -Wing. ).
- Senators believe the coordinated effort is separate from that of Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, who was the first in the House to announce he would oppose the vote.
In depth: Several senators oppose the certification of election results