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Hawley Defends Decision to Contest Electoral College Results, Blasts Dems Over Their Hypocrisy

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  December 31, 2020 9:00 AM

Sen. Josh Hawley defended his decision to object to the certification of some states' Electoral College results next week and accused Democrats of being hypocritical in their criticism of him.

Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, for example, accused the Missouri Republican of “trying to overthrow democracy” and “turn American into a state akin to Russia or China, where elections are for show and one party rules.”

While those contesting the Electoral Collect “won’t succeed this time,” he said, “the wound to democracy is severe.”

Hawley said he doesn’t recall such “outrageous claims” in 2004 and 2016.

“First of all, I don't hear the Democrats making such outrageous claims when they were the ones who were objecting during the Electoral College certification in 2004 and 2016,” he said on Fox News’s “The Story,” on Wednesday. “Democrats have done this for years to raise concerns about election integrity.”

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"Now when Republicans and 74 million Americans have concerns about election integrity, we are supposed to sit down and shut up?” he continued. “Somebody has to stand up here."


As for Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s criticism on CNN that he is "undermining even more public confidence in our democratic process and siding with the false Trump narrative," Hawley said his Democratic colleague didn’t have a problem with then-Sen. Barbara Boxer’s objection to Ohio electors in the 2005 certification of President Bush’s reelection.

Boxer was joined by the late Rep. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones (D-OH) in objecting.

"I think Van Hollen in 2005—January 2005—personally praised the Democrats in the House and Senate who objected during the certification process as it was their right to do," Hawley said. "Every senator and House member has the right to object if they want to. It is a judgment call on their part."

Hawley joined Rep. Mo Brooks in the House, along with more than 30 other representatives.

"This is the one opportunity I have as a United States Senator," he said. "[H]ere my one opportunity to stand up and say something, and that is exactly what I'm going to do."

In a statement about his decision on Wednesday, Hawley said Congress should be able to investigate allegations of election fraud. 

"I cannot vote to certify the electoral college results on January 6 without raising the fact that some states, particularly Pennsylvania, failed to follow their own election laws," he said. "At the very least, Congress should investigate allegations of voter fraud and adopt measures to secure the integrity of our elections. But Congress has so far failed to act.”