OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Anextensive Facebook post on Dec. 30 by Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse is getting national attention. In the post he explains his choice to not support the efforts of some Republican senators who plan to object to the certification of the Electoral College vote on January 6. He also revealed that he wrote-in Vice President Mike Pence for president in both 2016 and 2020.
On Tuesday, Missouri Senator Josh Hawley announced that he plans to object to the certification. Sasse said he will not follow suit.
“Some members of the House and the Senate are apparently going to object to counting the votes of some states that were won by Joe Biden. Just like the rest of Senate Republicans, I have been approached by many Nebraskans demanding that I join in this project.
Having been in private conversation with two dozen of my colleagues over the past few weeks, it seems useful to explain in public why I will not be participating in a project to overturn the election – and why I have been urging my colleagues also to reject this dangerous ploy,” Sasse wrote.
Sasse’s voting record has mostly aligned with the President’s views, but he has, at times, been a vocal critic of President Trump. Recently, the senator called Trump’s pardoning of political allies “rotten to the core.”
Some Nebraska Democrats questioned the sincerity of his statement.
I’m still in the camp where I don’t believe any of Sasse words and ivory tower pontificating. His actions last 4 years prove otherwise. But I guess it’s good for book sales and tweets.
— Jane Fleming Kleeb (@janekleeb) December 31, 2020
Sasse, who holds a Ph.D. in history, briefly outlined the constitutional basis for a member of Congress objecting to the Electoral College vote. He went on to say that there wasn’t a basis for it in this case.
The senator also addressed accusations of widespread voter fraud and explained why he believes there is no basis for overturning the election results in the states where Trump has challenged the vote count. He addressed election questions state-by-state in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin and Georgia and cited a variety of news sources, including the conservative magazine, National Review.
The statement also quotes Attorney General Barr, “At the end of the day, one of the President Trump’s strongest supporters, his own Attorney General, Bill Barr, was blunt: ‘We have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected [SIC] a different outcome in the election.’”
After citing sources, Sasse continued to explain his reasoning:
“5. BUT ISN’T IT IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST TO INVESTIGATE THESE CLAIMS MORE THOROUGHLY? DOESN’T IT HELP GUARANTEE THE LEGITIMACY OF OUR ELECTORAL PROCESS?
I take this argument seriously because actual voter fraud – and worries about voter fraud – are poison to self-government. So yes, we should investigate all specific claims, but we shouldn’t burn down the whole process along the way. Right now we are locked in a destructive, vicious circle:
Step 1: Allege widespread voter fraud.
Step 2: Fail to offer specific evidence of widespread fraud.
Step 3: Demand investigation, on grounds that there are “allegations” of voter fraud.
I can’t simply allege that the College Football Playoff Selection Committee is “on the take” because they didn’t send the Cornhuskers to the Rose Bowl, and then – after I fail to show evidence that anyone on the Selection Committee is corrupt – argue that we need to investigate because of these pervasive “allegations” of corruption.
We have good reason to think this year’s election was fair, secure, and law-abiding. That’s not to say it was flawless. But there is no evidentiary basis for distrusting our elections altogether, or for concluding that the results do not reflect the ballots that our fellow citizens actually cast.”
Sasse concluded his statement with criticism of his colleagues and the American political climate in general.
“Let’s be clear what is happening here: We have a bunch of ambitious politicians who think there’s a quick way to tap into the president’s populist base without doing any real, long-term damage. But they’re wrong – and this issue is bigger than anyone’s personal ambitions. Adults don’t point a loaded gun at the heart of legitimate self-government
We have a deep cancer in American politics right now: Both Republicans and Democrats are growing more distrustful of the basic processes and procedures that we follow...
...All the clever arguments and rhetorical gymnastics in the world won’t change the fact that this January 6th effort is designed to disenfranchise millions of Americans simply because they voted for someone in a different party. We ought to be better than that. If we normalize this, we’re going to turn American politics into a Hatfields and McCoys endless blood feud – a house hopelessly divided.”
To read the entire statement by Sen. Sasse, visit his Facebook page.
