Joe Biden

Harris in Shouting Match on House Floor; Backs Objections to Arizona, Pennsylvania Electoral Votes

January 7, 2021 by John Griep

Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md.-1st, got into a shouting match on the House floor early Thursday morning during a debate over GOP objections to certifying the electoral votes from Pennsylvania in the 2020 presidential election, according to accounts from several reporters.

Pennsylvania was the second and final state whose certified electoral votes faced objections from Republican lawmakers during what is normally a routine process of Congress opening and reading the electoral votes from the states.

The debate over the first objection, to Arizona’s electoral count, came to a sudden halt early Wednesday afternoon after right-wing domestic terrorists broke into the U.S. Capitol building, forcing lawmakers to be ushered to safe locations as police took several hours to regain control of the building.

Photos and videos show the rioters breaking glass in doors and windows to enter the Capitol and overwhelming Capitol Police officers trying to keep them out. One woman was fatally shot by an officer during the melee, three others died as a result of medical emergencies, and numerous police officers were assaulted and injured by the mob that included some holding “Blue Lives Matter” flags purporting to support law enforcement.

The mob was incited by remarks made by President Donald Trump during an earlier rally in Washington, D.C.

Trump has repeatedly lied about the presidential election results, claiming he defeated Joe Biden in a landslide victory even though Biden handily won both the Electoral College vote and the national popular vote.

More than 50 lawsuits from Trump and others challenging the results have been rejected by state and federal courts across the nation, including by the U.S. Supreme Court. Many courts found the Trump lawsuits to be baseless, with no evidence supporting allegations of fraud.

As a result of the Wednesday afternoon attack on the Capitol, several Republican senators who had planned to join GOP congressmen in objecting to the results from six swing states opted to pull their support.

The objection to Arizona’s results was defeated 93-6 in the U.S. Senate and 303-121 in the House of Representatives, with Harris joining 120 Republican colleagues in support of the objection.

As the process continued, GOP objections to the results in Georgia, Michigan, and Nevada failed outright when not a single U.S. senator joined the dozens of congressional Republicans objecting to those states’ results. For an objection to be considered for discussion and a vote, at least one congressman and one senator must sign onto a written objection.

However, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, joined GOP colleagues in the House in an objection to Pennsylvania’s results.

According to a report from Maryland Matters and States Newsroom:

Shortly after delivering his own remarks challenging Pennsylvania’s election results on the House floor in the early morning hours, Harris was among lawmakers who ran toward each other during a heated debate and had to be separated by a Capitol Hill staffer.

“It didn’t materialize out of nowhere,” Pennsylvania Rep. Conor Lamb (D) said of the unrest. “It was inspired by lies. The same lies that you’re hearing in this room tonight.”

Huffington Post reporter Matt Fuller tweeted that Harris was shouting “He called me a liar!” during the confrontation with Colin Allred (D-Texas).

Fuller later tweeted that a congressman said it was mostly Al Lawson, a Florida Democrat, and Harris in the argument, but Allred was among a group of members from both sides who converged in the aisle.

Several people commenting on Fuller’s tweet noted that Allred is a former NFL linebacker.

Below is a video of the comments Harris made during the debate on the Pennsylvania objection:

Nearly an hour later, Rep. Connor Lamb, D-Pennsylvania, spoke against the objection to his state’s electoral vote results. The argument involving Harris occurred during Lamb’s remarks and shouting can be heard on this video excerpt from C-SPAN.

As Lamb spoke, Rep. Morgan Griffith, a Virginia Republican, asked that his comments about Republicans lying be stricken from the record.

However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Griffith’s objection was not timely and Lamb continued his remarks by noting: “The truth hurts.”

CNN reporter Kristin Wilson tweeted that Harris and Allred yelled at each other: to “sit down” “no, you sit down” from across the floor, then confronted each other in the aisle as a dozen members from each side joined them.

The objection to the Pennsylvania results was defeated in the House on a vote of 282-138. Harris was among the 138 Republican congressmen to vote for the objection.

The final objection — to the results in Wisconsin — also failed when no senator joined the objection.

The joint session of Congress ultimately certified Joe Biden’s presidential victory with an Electoral College vote of 306 to 232 for Trump.

Harris and Griffith were the only two Republican congressmen who voted against seating the newly elected House members from Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, Forbes reported.

A Republican Texas congressman opposed to efforts to reject the presidential results had challenged the seating of those House members, arguing that any voter fraud in those states would also affect the congressional results, according to Forbes.

By voting against that challenge, nearly all Republican congressmen essentially acknowledged the legitimacy of the congressional results in those states. Yet, a few days later, many of those GOP lawmakers said the presidential election results in those very same states should be rejected.

Supreme Court Denies Texas’ Request to Sue Other States Over Election Results

December 12, 2020 by Spy Desk

The nation’s highest court on Friday denied a request by the Texas attorney general to challenge the presidential election results in four other states.

Seven of the U.S. Supreme Court’s nine justices — including the three appointed by President Donald Trump — said Texas had no standing to sue another state over the manner in which it conducts its elections.

“Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections,” the majority ruled.

The remaining two justices — Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas — said the court had to allow the filing of any such “original jurisdiction” case, “but would not grant other relief.”

The Supreme Court usually only hears appeals, but has original jurisdiction as a trial court for particular cases, including when one state sues another. Lawsuits between states have typically involved boundary and water rights disputes.

Op-Ed: Let’s Go Joe! By J.E. Dean and Maria Grant

March 7, 2020 by Spy Desk

Super Tuesday marked the much-hoped-for rebirth of the Biden campaign. It was remarkable. Our faith in the electorate was restored. President Trump is right to fear him. A smart, experienced, decent leader is exactly what America needs right now. Finally, we can look forward to the next primary, the convention, and election day.

These are welcome developments but taking anything for granted these days is imprudent. Bernie Sanders is still out there, ready, willing and able to deliver an election prize to Trump. And the general election itself will be no cakewalk. Any fight with an opponent with Trump’s ethics, money, and willingness to appeal to the worst in us should not be taken lightly.

We are enthusiastic supporters of the Vice President. Nonetheless, we believe he must take several actions to become a stronger candidate. Here’s our advice:

Use coherent concise talking points on every issue. Back up your statements with specific facts and figures whenever possible. Don’t talk too long. Aggressively avoid rambling. Only cite examples directly germane to your point.

Stress that when you are president, you will appoint cabinet members, ambassadors, etc., with deep expertise in their fields. The days of Rick Perry (a Dancing with the Stars contestant in charge of Energy) Ben Carson (a brain surgeon in charge of HUD), family members developing a Middle East peace policy, etc., are over.

Develop a better defense for the Hunter Biden/Burisma attacks that are bound to continue. Consider something like this: “My son Hunter did nothing illegal. Let me make that clear. In hindsight, the optics don’t look great. However, that is far from committing an illegal act. I commit to you that in my administration family members and relatives will not be given positions. As you know, Hunter has struggled with addiction for many years of his adult life. Many of you have had or have family members who experience similar struggles. Hunter has come out on the other side. I hope and pray that your family also finds a positive path forward from this terrible disease.”

Lead a return to decency, kindness and compassion. In your administration, there will be no more name calling, mean-spirited comments and divisive rhetoric. Racism has no place in 21st century America. Let’s be who we can be, not who some of us were. Let’s “pay it forward” and encourage acts of kindness toward our fellow men and women.

Pledge and lead the unification of America. Although we always will have differing opinions, we are stronger when we listen to each other. Let’s find and embrace the middle ground, guided by truth, science, compassion and justice.

Name a woman as your vice president running mate. For many women, it’s a slap in the face that the three candidates left standing are white men who are more than 70 years old. Select a woman not because of her ethnicity but because of her talents and experience and her commitment to the cause. You have many strong women from whom to choose. Amy Klobuchar comes to mind.

Commit to joining forces with the rest of the world—climate change, peace, solving health issues, etc. It’s not America against the rest of the world. It’s America teaming with the rest of the world to make it a better place for all.

Concede that Bernie, Liz, Kamala, Bloomberg, Mayor Pete and Amy had some good ideas. Embrace those good ideas. They are right. There is too much income inequality in our society. Climate change must be addressed with big proposals. Criminal justice reform is long overdue. It’s okay to reject some of the draconian, overly expensive, and divisive proposals, but let’s remember why most Democrats vote democratic. Progress is in Democrats’ DNA. So, be bold. With your credibility, you can take us places where none of the other candidates could. Consider some candidates for cabinet posts. Bloomberg would be great at OMB or Treasury. Mayor Pete would shine at the VA, etc.

It’s more than four months until Democrats meet in Milwaukee. A lot can happen between now and then. To ensure Biden’s place on top of the ticket, and that Trump will return to his illustrious business and entertainment career, the Vice President needs to step up his game. We are confident that he can. We look forward to welcoming Uncle Joe as our President in January of 2021.

Maria Grant served as Principal-in-Charge of the Federal Human Capital practice of Deloitte Consulting. Since her retirement from Deloitte, she has focused on writing, music, reading, travel, gardening and nature. J.E. Dean of Oxford writes on politics and current affairs. He is a former counsel to a Congressional Committee, attorney and public affairs consultant.

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