Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called for lawmakers to appoint an electoral commission to investigate accusations of election fraud in the 2020 presidential election, despite statements from election officials and Attorney General Bill Barr saying they found no evidence of widespread election fraud. Cruz said the commission could conduct a 10-day emergency audit to consider evidence and make a determination.
“For those on the Democratic aisle who say, ‘There is no evidence, they’ve been rejected,’ then you should rest in comfort. If that’s the case, an electoral commission would reject these claims,” Cruz said on the Senate floor after lawmakers objected to the electoral votes from Arizona during a joint session of Congress.
The session, a necessary and usually routine step in the presidential election process, is in the spotlight this year because dozens of Republicans in the House and Senate are objecting to results in some states.
President-elect Joe Biden won the election with 306 Electoral College votes after states certified their results, but President Donald Trump and many of his supporters have refused to accept his loss, making false claims of widespread voter fraud.
Now, Trump’s staunchest allies in Congress are making a last attempt to dispute the result, forcing hours of debate in both chambers. But a bipartisan majority of lawmakers have said they are prepared to accept Biden’s win.
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