Multiple congressional Republicans on Monday chided President Donald Trump over his attempt to privately pressure Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” ballots that would overturn Joe Biden’s win.
“I commend Republican election officials across the country who have discharged their duties with integrity over the past two months while weathering relentless pressure, disinformation, and attacks from the president and his campaign,” Toomey said. And Rep. Adam Kinzinger , one of the most vocal Trump critics in recent months, labeled the recorded conversation as “absolutely appalling.”
The president has been relatively quiet about the call to Raffensperger, but on Monday he dubbed those Republicans unwilling to challenge Biden’s electoral win as the “surrender caucus.” Other Republicans, however, came to Trump’s defense or shrugged off the episode entirely. While House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy declined to answer questions from reporters in the Capitol about the call, he seemed to downplay the conversation during an interview on Fox News.
Congressional Democrats, for their part, have also begun strategizing for Wednesday’s lengthy session. House Democrats held a caucus call Monday, where Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged members to be “dignified” throughout the whole process.