Skeptical Lindsey Graham suggests GOP Electoral College challenge is 'a political dodge'

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last updated 4 January 2021

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) was one of the more notable names, along with Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), who were absent from the list of GOP senators planning to object to the Electoral College certification next week. On Sunday, Graham addressed his colleagues' decision and didn't seem convinced it was the right move.

While not as forceful in his criticism as Sens. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), and Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Graham said it appears the call for an investigation into unfounded allegations of widespread voter fraud is "more of a political dodge than an effective remedy" to the situation, especially at such a late stage.

The senator said he looks forward to hearing the arguments from his colleagues, including Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), among others, adding that he'll "listen closely," but "they have a high bar to clear." For Graham to be convinced it's worth challenging President-elect Joe Biden's victory, Republican lawmakers will need to provide evidence of their charges of voter fraud, as well as proof that state and federal courts should have acted on election fraud claims and that those actions could have changed the outcome of the presidential election in certain states. Tim O'Donnell

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.

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