Graham Calls Cruz’s Effort To Challenge Electoral College Votes a ‘Political Dodge’

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a supporter of President Donald Trump, is criticizing the efforts of his Republican colleagues to block the certification of the Electoral College vote.

In a series of tweets on Sunday, Graham wrote, “Proposing a commission at this late date – which has zero chance of becoming reality – is not effectively fighting for President Trump.”

“It appears to be more of a political dodge than an effective remedy,” he added.

He also shared a link to a Fox News article that details an effort being spearheaded by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to object to certifying the Electoral College’s vote.

Cruz is also pushing for a commission to be established by Congress to look into allegations of widespread fraud.

Graham added that he will “listen closely” to Republican lawmakers as they make their case for disqualifying the electoral votes of states.

“They will need to provide proof of the charges they are making,” he said, adding, “They will also need to provide clear and convincing evidence that the failure to act – in both the state and federal courts and the states legislatures which investigated these claims – was made in error.”

Additionally, he said the lawmakers will have to “show that the failure to take corrective action in addressing election fraud changed the outcome of these states’ votes and ultimately the outcome of the election.”

However, he noted that they have a “high bar” to reach in their argument.

Axios reports that over the weekend, a group of ten incumbent and incoming Republican senators have joined Cruz’s push to establish a commission.

Cruz is seeking to establish an Electoral Commission that would audit the results of the presidential election in states that Trump is contesting over a 10-day period.

Once the commission is finished with its work, it would deliver its findings to Congress, which would “convene a special legislative session to certify a change in their vote, if needed.”

Cruz’s effort is different than that of Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who is seeking to disqualify the results in five battleground states that Trump lost — without a commission.

There are believed to be over 100 Republican lawmakers who plan on objecting to the certification of the Electoral College vote.

None long-shot efforts are expected to succeed in overturning the election as it is expected that there will not be enough lawmakers willing to vote to disqualify the electoral college votes of the contested states.

While Trump has alleged widespread fraud, state officials and the Department of Justice have not found evidence to support his claim.