Bergman Statement on Electoral College Certification Process and Lawlessness at Capitol
Washington,
January 6, 2021
In times of tension and turmoil, leaders stand up and do what is right. I made it very clear this week that I intended to stand for my belief that irregularities, discrepancies, and usurpation of state election laws demanded an investigation into the 2020 election. After all, this is a duty that Congress has been given and a lawful way to challenge concerns with state electors. As prescribed by the 12th Amendment, a joint session of Congress is to meet to “count electoral votes” and make a final determination on the 2020 Presidential Election. The Electoral Count Act of 1887 gives Congress the opportunity to object to any state where any member believes votes were either “unlawfully certified” or “not regularly given.” That is what I did today, and what many before me have done - including in recent elections.
Make no mistake, no one-person or chamber has unilateral power to overturn election results – not Congress, not the Vice-President, and not the President. I said before, the decision we have before us was not binary - it was not founded in overturning an election, but grounded in securing free and fair elections and protecting election integrity. Congress and state legislatures have an obligation to provide restored confidence to the tens of millions of Americans who have lost faith in our election process. The actions of the mob that participated in storming the Capitol, fighting Capitol Police, and harming civilians and property is un-American and a disgrace to our republic. Those who broke the law and participated in this effort should receive maximum punishment. These actions undermine our very foundation – I didn’t fight for our country for forty years to see us devolve into settling political disputes by violence and intimidation.We are a nation of law and order and must remain so if we are to maintain our republic. |
