A bi-partisan group of 10 senators on Sunday came together to shoot down claims about wide spread voting fraud and other irregularities. The coalition is compromised of five Democrats, four Republicans and one Independent.
"The 2020 election is over. All challenges through recounts and appeals have been exhausted. At this point, further attempts to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 Presidential election are contrary to the clearly expressed will of the American people and only serve to undermine Americans' confidence in the already determined election results," the group said in a statement. "The voters have spoken, and Congress must no fulfill its responsibility to certify the election results."
"In two weeks, we will begin working with our colleagues and the new Administration on bipartisan, common sense solutions to the enormous challenges facing our country," the statement read. "It's time to move forward."
The group is compromised of Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin (WV), Mark Warner (VA), Jeanne Shaheen (NH), Maggie Hassan (NH) and Dick Durbin (IL); Republicans Susan Collins (ME), Bill Cassidy (LA), and Lisa Murkowski (AK), Mitt Romney (UT); and Independent Angus King (ME).
The news comes after Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Saturday announced a coalition with 10 other Republican senators who plan to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election. Cruz's group is calling for a "10-day audit" of the results after "unprecedented allegations of voter fraud, violations and lax enforcement of election law, and other voting irregularities."
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Cruz's coalition wants to follow the precedent established in 1877 when an Electoral Commission was established to address allegations of voter fraud.
The coalition calls on their colleagues to establish an Electoral Commission "with full investigatory and fact-finding authority, to conduct an emergency 10-day audit of the election returns in the disputed states. Once completed, individual states would evaluate the Commission’s findings and could convene a special legislative session to certify a change in their vote, if needed."
Although it appears that each member of Congress has only two options to pick from – either to certify the election or not – Cruz said that is the furthest thing from the truth.
"Look, we got to vote on January 6th on certification and every member of Congress faces a dilemma. Frankly, two pretty lousy choices: one, we can vote to certify by not considering any objection. If we do that that will be heard by a lot of Americans as saying, 'We don't think voter fraud is a real concern. We don't think these claims should be investigated thoroughly,'" Cruz explained on "Sunday Morning Futures." "I know that's not what most of us believe. And, secondly, almost all of us don't want to be in a position where we're suggesting setting aside the results of an election just because the candidate we supported didn't happen to prevail. That's not a principled constitutional position."
When the Texas senator established the coalition with his Republican colleagues in the Senate, his goal was to create a third option rooted in the law.
"We ought to resolve these claims not just dismiss them out of hand," he explained.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), although not part of Cruz's coalition, also plans to challenge the election results on Jan. 6. Hawley was the first senator to say he would object to certifying the results.
In the House of Representatives, Congressmen Mo Brooks (R-AL), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Paul Gosar (R-AZ) and Congresswoman-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) will vote to challenge the results as well.
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