Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), the first Senate Republican to publicly announce he was challenging Congress for Joe Biden’s presidential election victory, admitted Tuesday night that Vice President Mike Pence can do nothing to override the results.
Appears on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle, Hawley was asked by pro-Trump host Laura Ingraham about whether she believed Pence “should not accept the certification of tomorrow’s election.” This comes after President Donald Trump’s false claim that the vice president “has the power” to block Biden’s victory.
“You know, I understand that under the 12th Amendment and under the relevant laws, the Vice President opens the certificates and hands them to the Secretary of the Senate and the House and counts the votes,” Hawley murmured nervously. “I don’t think the vice president really counts under the law. It’s a little there. That’s really in Congress. “
The president has been putting intense pressure on Pence in recent days to block Electoral College voting certification when Congress meets on Wednesday, something Pence lacks the power to do in his largely symbolic role. The New York Times reported Tuesday that Pence informed Trump that he could not cancel the election during the weekly luncheon, which the president immediately discussed, issuing a statement saying the two were “totally in agreement” and that Pence “never he didn’t say it “.