It is well past time the GOP stood up to President Trump and put an end to his fantasies about overturning the election. Unfortunately, Republicans in both the House and Senate have decided to indulge him.
Sen. Josh Hawley became the first Republican senator on Wednesday to join a Trump-led effort to object to the Electoral College certification when Congress meets on Jan. 6. Several House Republicans, led by Rep. Mo Brooks, had already planned to challenge the electors’ votes for President-elect Joe Biden, but they needed at least one senator to do the same for the objection to move forward.
This formal objection will do little more than tickle Trump’s ego. It will not change the results of the election, though it will drag out the process by forcing two-hour debates in both the House and Senate. But at the end of the day, Biden will still be declared the winner.
So, what exactly is Hawley trying to accomplish? In a statement, he pointed to Democrats’ past objections during the certification process, including when Trump was elected. Hawley also cited problematic election practices in key swing states, such as Pennsylvania, and “the unprecedented effort of mega corporations, including Facebook and Twitter to interfere in this election, in support of Joe Biden.” But both of these points are moot: Republicans should not mimic Democrats’ bad behavior just because they can, and there is next to no evidence that Biden’s win was the result of illegal tampering.
This has serious implications for the transition of power and the country’s cultural well-being. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell understood this, which is why he discouraged his caucus from giving in to Trump’s demands. But Hawley is clearly more interested in his own political future and what he could gain from Trump’s base down the road.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story asserted that no Democratic senator had supported prior Electoral College objections, but this is incorrect. Former Sen. Barbara Boxer raised an objection to the 2004 results. We regret the error.
