CNN’S Jake Tapper said it may be time for viewers to have a “traitors and patriots” debate regarding the Republican Party.
The “State of the Union” host was livid over the weekend after GOP senators who want an emergency audit of the 2020 presidential election rejected a show invitation.
Mr. Tapper blasted “disgraceful” lawmakers for their upcoming objection to the certification of President-elect Joseph R. Biden’s Electoral College votes on Jan. 6.
“What are the president and a big chunk of congressional Republicans focused on?” Mr. Tapper asked Sunday. “Undermining the results of the election. Essentially, a bloodless coup leading the Republican Party to a state of turmoil. Saturday, 11 Republican senators said they would vote against counting electoral votes in Congress next week, calling for a quote ’emergency 10-day audit’ of election returns despite there being no evidence of widespread voter fraud.”
The journalist then excoriated Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri for inspiring his Republican colleagues.
“The group is following the lead of Sen. Josh Hawley, who says he will formally object to Biden’s decisive win despite zero credible evidence that would justify such a move,” Mr. Tapper said. “Zero.”
Mr. Hawley has said that he “cannot vote to certify the Electoral College results on Jan. 6 without raising the fact that some states, particularly Pennsylvania, failed to follow their own state election laws.”
“I want to note that we invited each of the 12 senators involved in plotting this disgraceful effort to come on the show this morning to try to defend and explain their position,” Mr. Tapper continued. “Each of them declined or failed to respond. It all recalls what Ulysses S. Grant once wrote. In 1861: ’There are but two parties now: traitors and patriots.’ How would you explain the parties today?”
President Trump has vowed to exhaust all legal avenues to expose the 2020 election, for all intents and purposes, as a farce.
Mr. Trump maintains that hasty and unconstitutional changes to election processes involving mail-in ballots turned his massive late-night lead on Election Day into a faux win for Mr. Biden the next morning.
Jake Tapper says he invited on all 12 GOP senators who are “involved in plotting this disgraceful effort” to overthrow the election but they all declined or failed to respond.
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) January 3, 2021
“It recalls what Ulysses Grant wrote in 1861: There are two parties now, traitors and patriots.” pic.twitter.com/BJ50So94G6
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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