A 12 months Later, GOP Lawmakers Nonetheless Will not Say If Joe Biden Is Truly President

It’s been a 12 months since 147 Republican lawmakers voted to overturn the outcomes of the 2020 presidential election after fueling a lie about widespread voter fraud.

They forged their votes simply hours after a mob of white supremacist supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol with plans to kill Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Vice President Mike Pence and others to cease them from certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s win. They believed the lie, and Trump himself egged them on. Tons of of lawmakers, employees, reporters and different staff hid for his or her lives. 5 folks died and lots of have been injured. 4 cops who defended the Capitol that day later died by suicide.

Biden overwhelmingly won the election. There was never evidence of widespread voter fraud.

Do these 147 Republicans now concede that Biden was elected president, truthful and sq., a full 12 months later? Do they remorse their votes towards certifying the Electoral Faculty rely? HuffPost posed each inquiries to all 147 Republicans over the span of a few weeks in December, both in individual or through their workplaces.

They overwhelmingly declined to reply.

“Name our press workplace,” mentioned Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) when requested if he believes Biden pretty gained the election a 12 months in the past.

Cruz stood in a Senate elevator as he spoke, and the doorways weren’t closing for some purpose. HuffPost pressed him on why he wouldn’t reply the query himself because it was about his personal perception. For the subsequent seven seconds, Cruz stared blankly in silence till the doorways lastly closed.

“Chilly,” muttered a Capitol Hill photographer standing close by.

HuffPost went forward and adopted up with Cruz’s press workplace. “Thanks, Jen, we’ll verify on this,” his spokesperson Maria Jeffrey emailed again. They by no means responded after that.

“Who’re you with?” mentioned Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) when requested if he regretted his Jan. 6 vote. When HuffPost recognized itself, Kennedy walked away.

“Yeah, I don’t have something for you on that,” he mentioned. “I’ve folks ready on me.”

HuffPost requested Kennedy once more a few weeks later, within the occasion he truly had folks ready on him that first time.

“I don’t have something for you,” he mentioned once more, strolling away.

Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) laughed as HuffPost started asking about her vote towards certifying Biden’s election.

“I don’t do hallway interviews,” she mentioned, stepping right into a Senate elevator.

Requested if she does elevator interviews, Hyde-Smith chuckled once more because the doorways closed. “I don’t do them within the elevator, both.”

Some GOP senators appeared aggravated at having to reply the query in any respect.

“He’s the constitutionally elected president,” mentioned Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who voted towards certifying Biden’s election. “I’ve mentioned it like a zillion instances.”

Requested if he regretted his vote, Scott merely mentioned, “No.”

Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) each firmly mentioned “sure” when requested in the event that they imagine Biden gained the election pretty. And each simply as firmly mentioned “no” about regretting their Jan. 6 votes towards certifying the Electoral Faculty outcomes.

Aides to Sens. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) ― the remaining two GOP senators who voted towards certifying Biden’s election ― didn’t reply to emailed requests for touch upon each questions.

Of the 139 Home Republicans who voted to overturn the election, an aide to only one among them ― one! ― responded to HuffPost’s questions.

“Congressman Periods stands agency in his choice to vote towards certifying the election outcomes of Arizona and Pennsylvania for the aim of additional overview,” mentioned Nicole Myers, a spokesperson for Rep. Pete Periods (R-Texas).

“There have been abnormalities and inconsistencies that People have been and are nonetheless very involved about,” mentioned Myers, although there has by no means been any proof of widespread voting fraud in Arizona or in Pennsylvania. “Congressman Periods’ vote was by no means meant to overturn the election slightly to ship again the outcomes to the states for a deeper investigation in order that People might have peace of thoughts and confidence within the election system.”

An aide to Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) additionally replied to HuffPost’s electronic mail however apparently solely to complain about not being requested about one thing else.

“Reaching again out with one query: Is that this the primary time you’ve written to me this 12 months?” wrote Issa spokesperson Jonathan Wilcox.

When HuffPost mentioned sure, it gave the impression to be, Wilcox responded, “That’s what I assumed, too.” He by no means adopted up with a solution to both query.

For the second, Rep. Tom Rice (S.C.) seems to be the one Home Republican who publicly regrets his vote towards certifying Biden’s win.

He told Politico last month that he ought to have voted to certify “as a result of President Trump was accountable for the assault on the Capitol.”

“Within the wee hours of that disgraceful night time, whereas ready for the Capitol of our nice nation to be secured, I knew I ought to vote to certify,” Rice mentioned. “However as a result of I had made a public announcement of my intent to object, I didn’t need to return on my phrase. So, yeah, I remorse my vote to object.”

Alex Enlow, a spokesperson for Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.), made a degree to focus on that his boss did vote to certify the votes for Biden as president. Enlow used to work for Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.), who voted to not certify Biden’s win, and HuffPost initially reached out to him for remark about Steube. Enlow responded with an replace on his job change ― and an announcement from Scott.

“Congress doesn’t have the Constitutional authority to overturn a state’s electoral votes,” Scott mentioned, “so I upheld my oath to the Structure and voted to certify the election.”