Kentucky’s Rep. Hal Rogers slammed for rejecting vote results after U.S. Capitol riot
Many of Kentucky representatives have criticized the 2020 General Election over recent months, but only one of them voted in Congress to reject the results as the Senate and House worked overnight.
Rep. Hal Rogers objected to counting the Electoral College votes in Arizona and Pennsylvania. He was one of 121 Republican House members who objected to counting Arizona and one of 138 who objected to counting Pennsylvania’s electoral votes. Both of the objections were defeated.
Rogers, who has represented Kentucky’s Fifth District in southern and Eastern Kentucky since 1981, questioned the legitimacy of the 2020 election in a statement released after the vote.
“Uncertainty and a lack of confidence began to grow amongst voters across the country as some states made late changes to the election process, resulting in mounting reports of irregularities and election fraud,” Rogers said. “Postponed election audits and legal hearings have also led to valid questions about the integrity of this election that are still unresolved.”
Legal challenges filed by President Donald Trump and his legal team have been defeated in multiple courts, and reports of election fraud have been disproved.
Rogers advocated for a peaceful transition of power despite his objections. He also condemned the violence at the Capitol.
The storm of Trump supporters who breached the Capitol Wednesday stopped the review of Electoral College votes, which Congress later continued and finished early Thursday morning.
The Kentucky Democratic Party said Thursday morning that Rogers’ votes “enabled and emboldened the mob.”
“It was an act so reprehensible that no other Republican in Kentucky’s federal delegation was willing to join Rogers,” Kentucky Democratic spokesperson Marisa McNee said in a statement. “If Hal Rogers wants to side with domestic terrorists, he should resign from Congress immediately and let someone else represent his district.”
The Republican Party later Thursday also released a statement saying it “stands against any attempts to overturn” the Electoral College provisions. “The Electoral College is a critical piece of the vision of representative government set forth by the founders in our Constitution,” GOP Chairman Mac Brown said.
“The world looks to our country to set an example of leadership. Now that our election is over it is time for Americans to unite together behind the principles set forth in our laws and Constitution.”
What Rand Paul, Andy Barr, Thomas Massie and Brett Guthrie said
While Rogers was the only Kentucky representative or senator to object, several others in the Kentucky delegation were vocal about their mistrust of the 2020 election before Trump supporters breached the Capitol. They did so despite no evidence of widespread voter fraud.
Sen. Rand Paul claimed during a Dec. 16 Senate hearing about election security that the presidential election was “stolen.”
“The fraud happened,” he said. “The election in many ways was stolen and the only way it will be fixed is by in the future reinforcing the laws.”
Paul said the election “mess” must be fixed after the Capitol was breached Wednesday, but he didn’t advocate for overturning Electoral College results.
“My oath to the Constitution doesn’t allow me to disobey the law,” Paul said in a tweet Wednesday. “I cannot vote to overturn the verdict of the states.”
Rep. Thomas Massie, whose district covers Northern Kentucky, also shared skepticism about the legitimacy of the 2020 election with previous social media posts about debunked voter fraud conspiracies. But leading up to Wednesday’s scheduled Congressional vote, Massie made it clear he would only challenge a state’s electorates if the state’s legislature indicated he should do so.
He ultimately voted against any electoral objections overnight.
Rep. Andy Barr of Lexington and Sen. Mitch McConnell repeatedly said Trump was within his right to make legal challenges regarding the election results. But neither of them voted to object to the results once they reached the House and Senate Wednesday.
In a letter penned to Kentucky’s Sixth District, which includes Lexington, Barr said he was “deeply concerned about the abuses and irregularities that occurred in the 2020 election.” Barr cited voter fraud evidence — that has previously been debunked — as the reason for his concern.
Despite his claims of fraud, Barr said he voted to uphold the Constitution.
“I cannot in good conscience, consistent with the Constitution, the law and the facts, vote in favor of objections to the counting of electoral votes,” Barr wrote.
Following the election, Rep. Brett Guthrie focused in his social media on COVID vaccine distribution successes and policy issues. He explained his position on the Electoral College vote count after the riot. “Congress has no authority to reject these votes. Rather, state legislative bodies have the authority, and the majority of states in question have Republican-led state legislatures. However, not one state legislative body has submitted an alternate slate of Electors.”
Attorney: Kentucky residents involved in D.C. crimes may be prosecuted
Central and Eastern Kentuckians who stormed the Capitol Wednesday may face legal discipline. Robert Duncan, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, said he’ll seek to prosecute anyone involved within his jurisdiction.
“If we can prove you traveled from EDKY to DC to commit violent criminal acts, then you will be prosecuted,” Duncan said in a tweet Wednesday night.
There were Kentucky residents among the group of Trump supporters on the Capitol grounds, though some of them told the Herald-Leader that they left the demonstration once people stormed the building.
This story was originally published January 7, 2021 at 8:52 AM with the headline "Kentucky’s Rep. Hal Rogers slammed for rejecting vote results after U.S. Capitol riot."