Former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R) is speaking out about Congressional Republicans’ efforts to overturn the results of the presidential election by objecting to the certification of electoral votes from battleground states President Donald Trump lost to President-elect Joe Biden.
In a statement on Sunday, Paul said, “All our basic rights and freedoms flow from a fidelity to the Constitution and the rule of law. This principle is not only fundamentally American but a central tenet of conservativism.”
“Under our system, voters determine the president, and this self-governance cannot sustain itself if the whims of Congress replace the will of the people. I urge members to consider the precedent that it would set,” he continued.
“Efforts to reject the votes of the Electoral College and sow doubt about Joe Biden’s victory strike at the foundation of our republic. It is difficult to conceive of a more anti-democratic and anti-conservative act than a federal intervention to overturn the results of the state-certified elections and disenfranchise millions of Americans. The fact that this effort will fail does not mean it will not do significant damage to American democracy.”
Read the statement below:
Former Speaker Paul Ryan: “Efforts to reject the votes of the Electoral College and sow doubt about Joe Biden’s victory strike at the foundation of our republic. It is difficult to conceive of a more anti-democratic and anti-conservative act" pic.twitter.com/SQd5PrS8Gb
— Natalie Andrews (@natalieandrews) January 3, 2021
Paul noted that “the Trump campaign had ample opportunity to challenge election results, and those efforts failed from lack of evidence.”
Finally, he added, “Joe Biden’s victory is entirely legitimate.”
At least 140 House Republicans are reportedly expected to vote to object to certifying the Electoral College vote on January 6.
Several Republican lawmakers have announced their intention to challenge the Electoral College votes as Trump continues to make baseless allegations of widespread fraud in the election.
The efforts are widely expected to fail as the results of the election have been certified by the states, and there has been no evidence to corroborate Trump’s claim of widespread fraud.
Some Republicans in Congress have blasted the effort to overturn the election as a “grifting scam” and a fundraising ploy.