Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), an ally of former President Donald Trump, pledged Sunday not to vote to certify the results of the November election, as Republican lawmakers lay the groundwork to face their candidate’s potential defeat to fight.
Two years ago, Congress passed an updated version of the Electoral Count Act, a bill that would make it harder for lawmakers to object to the results of the presidential election and potentially prevent another riot like the one on January 6, 2021.
In an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union,” Donalds did not answer outright whether Congress should follow the law as outlined in the bill passed in 2022 when it comes to certifying the 2024 election.
“As long as states and jurisdictions follow the election procedures in their states, there will be no problem for me or anyone on Capitol Hill,” Donalds said.
“Well, that’s a huge loophole you left there,” CNN’s Dana Bash shot back.
Donalds then shared baseless conspiracy theories that several states were not following the law in 2020.
The CNN host fact-checked the Republican congressman, reminding viewers that there was no widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election, despite Trump’s claims to the contrary, noting that the former president and his allies have several lost lawsuits challenging the results.
Meanwhile, former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said Sunday she was concerned that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) would not certify a potential Democratic victory.
“He has a record of repeatedly doing things that he knows are wrong, that he knows are unconstitutional, to appease Donald Trump,” she told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Donalds and Johnson were among 147 Republicans who voted to overturn the election results in January 2021.
GOP officials have laid the groundwork for disputing a potential Kamala Harris victory, in part by also raising the threat of mass voting by noncitizens, despite the fact that it is illegal for noncitizens to vote at federal and state elections and there is a lack of any evidence to point to systematic fraud involving non-citizens.
“I think there will be cheating in this election. I think non-citizens are going to vote,” Johnson told CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
