Jan. 6: Trump’s last chance on his reelection bid

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• President Donald Trump’s last chance to overturn the election results would be on January 6, where the Congress holds a bicameral session to formally tally the votes.
• In a last-minute effort by Trump’s allies, a lawsuit was filed against Vice President Mike Pence, stating that he is bound by law to pick electors.
• The Senate is expected to throw its support to Biden albeit objections may come from the House members.

Before the inauguration day on January 20, President Donald Trump has still one remaining chance to overturn the election results. And that is on January 6, where the Congress, in a bicameral session, will officially tally the Electoral College votes from all the states.

After the counting, the incumbent vice president, acting as Senate president, would declare the winners. In this regard, Vice President Mike Pence would be the one to declare Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ victory.

During the certification of results last December 14, Biden formally got 306 electoral votes versus Trump’s 232 votes. Biden also defeated Trump in popular votes with over 81 million votes compared to 74 million for Trump.

On Sunday, Trump allies, led by Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX.) and Arizona GOPs, filed a lawsuit in US District Court against Pence. The suit claimed that Pence is authorized to select pro-Trump electors on January 6 that would vote in favor of Trump.

“Vice-President Pence, in his capacity as President of Senate and Presiding Officer of January 6, 2021, Joint Session of Congress under the Twelfth Amendment, is subject solely to the requirements of the Twelfth Amendment and may exercise the exclusive authority and sole discretion in determining which electoral votes to count for a given State,” the suit said.

Another possible way would be if at least one representative and one senator would oppose the given results. The said objection then will be put to a vote.

One House member, in particular, is Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA.), who earlier said that he would object to Georgia’s election results. Georgia was one of the four key battleground states where results were legally challenged by Trump, but it would be unlikely to happen in the case of the senate.

Neophyte Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL.) initially expressed his intention to object but did not make any confirmation. 

Even if such vote pushes through, it would not pass in the House which holds the majority of House seats. The Senate, meanwhile, was already prepared to proceed with the Biden-Harris administration. GOP leader and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY.) has already congratulated and given his blessing to Biden. He also advised his fellow Republican colleagues not to make any objections.

Ultimately, the battle is not over yet for Trump as the nation awaits Pence’s pronouncement.

Since Election Day, Trump has continuously claimed massive voter fraud. And it looks like he would never concede to Biden. So far, he lost all legal battles, as courts typically reject his election contest.

Source: Yahoo News