(RightWing.org) – When Congress meets every four years to fulfill its Constitutional role of certifying the Electoral College, it normally takes 30 to 45 minutes. Not this year — it took approximately six hours, not including the entire day of riots, resulting in the shut down of the Capitol building.
At approximately 3:30 a.m. on Thursday, January 7, Vice President Mike Pence announced that Congress certified the state delegate counts that will make Joe Biden the 46th President of the United States. However, getting there was quite a process as nearly a hundred House Republicans and several GOP Senators objected to both Arizona and Pennsylvania’s Electoral College results.
Democrats and Republicans Override Objections
When Congress opened the session at 1 p.m. on January 6, several conservative Republicans led by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) expected to object to six state Electoral College outcomes. However, by the time the session regrouped after riots around 10 p.m., Republicans agreed to object only to Arizona and Pennsylvania.
Each objection agreed upon must be in writing and signed by at least one Representative and Senator. When objected to and written notice was provided, counting of the electoral votes was halted. The Senate retreated to its own chamber and each legislative body debated the merits of each others’ objections for two hours, followed by a vote.
The House and Senate overwhelmingly voted down both objections.
President Trump Acknowledges Electoral College Certification
During a speech earlier in the day on Tuesday, President Donald Trump declared that he would never concede when there’s “theft involved.” Soon after Congress’ certification on Thursday morning, the president walked up to that line, but didn’t cross over it.
In a tweet by White House Social Media Directory Dan Scavino on Trump’s behalf, the president stated:
Statement by President Donald J. Trump on the Electoral Certification:
“Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th. I have always said we would continue our…
— Dan Scavino Jr.🇺🇸🦅 (@DanScavino) January 7, 2021
Additionally, the president mentioned that it’s the “end of the greatest first term in presidential history.” He vowed that it’s the beginning of the “fight to Make America Great Again.”
Biden’s inauguration is scheduled for Wednesday, January 20, 2021.
Don Purdum, Independent Political Analyst
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