2 of Trump's closest allies in the Senate turn against Republican plan to reject election results

Sen. Mike Lee.
(Image credit: Jonathan Newton-Pool/Getty Images)

Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) are usually some of President Trump's staunchest allies in the Senate. But when it comes to Republicans' plans to oppose President-elect Joe Biden's win on Wednesday, they're taking another road.

Cotton, whom one analyst called the likely "heir to Trumpism" after pressing for a militaristic response to racial justice protests over the summer, issued a statement Monday affirming he won't reject the confirmation of Biden's Electoral College win. While Cotton had some "concerns" about alleged "irregularities in the presidential election," he said the correct way to solve those problems is through an investigatory commission and congressional hearings. "The founders entrusted our elections chiefly to the states — not Congress," Cotton continued. An attempt to overthrow the Electoral College's decision would "exceed that power" and "establish unwise precedents," including some he claimed Democrats could abuse, Cotton finished.

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Kathryn Krawczyk

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.