'They chose to subvert the Constitution': Pelosi slams House Republicans who backed Texas lawsuit seeking to overturn election results
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- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday criticized House Republicans who joined a legal effort by Texas to overturn the election results in four key states that President-elect Joe Biden won in November.
- "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House," Pelosi said. "Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions."
- In an unsigned order issued on Friday, the Supreme Court rejected the lawsuit brought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton due to lack of standing.
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday ripped into House Republicans who backed an effort by Texas to overturn the election results in four key states that President-elect Joe Biden won in November, accusing the members of "subverting the Constitution."
The California Democrat lauded the Supreme Court's decision to toss the Texas case, which sought to invalidate the electoral results from Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, states where President Donald Trump and his campaign have long alleged voter fraud without providing any evidence to back up their claims.
"The Court has rightly dismissed out of hand the extreme, unlawful and undemocratic GOP lawsuit to overturn the will of millions of American voters," she said in a statement. "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions.
In a brief unsigned order issued on Friday, the Supreme Court rejected the lawsuit brought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Trump ally, due to lack of standing. In addition to Paxton, 17 state attorneys general had signed an amicus brief backing the lawsuit.
"Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections," the Supreme Court's order said. "All other pending motions are dismissed as moot."
While the GOP signees represented a broad swath of conservative districts, much of the party's House leadership was also on board, with Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California and Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana taking part in the lawsuit. But House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney of Wyoming, a member of the party's leadership, did not join the lawsuit.
In her statement, Pelosi highlighted COVID-19, criticizing the GOP for not focusing their legislative efforts on tackling the public policy issues caused by the highly-contagious virus.
"The pandemic is raging, with nearly 300,000 having died and tens of millions having lost jobs," she added. "Strong, unified action is needed to crush the virus, and Republicans must once and for all end their election subversion - immediately."
Biden cruised to a 306-232 Electoral College victory in the 2020 presidential election. To win the presidency, a candidate must receive at least 270 electoral votes.
The continued Republican resistance to Biden's victory comes as the Electoral College will meet on December 14, with electors set to formally cast their votes for the winners of each state.
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