All of MS’s Republican representatives signed on to failed Texas election challenge
All three of Mississippi’s Republican representatives in Congress signed onto a legal brief supporting a failed challenge to the presidential election by the state of Texas.
U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo of the 4th Congressional District joined colleagues Trent Kelly of the 1st District and Michael Guest of the 3rd District in supporting the challenge, which the U.S. Supreme Court rejected in an unsigned order Friday. The amicus (friend of the court) brief was signed by a total of 126 House Republicans.
No evidence of widespread election fraud has been found, even by President Donald Trump loyalist and U.S. Attorney General William Barr.
Regardless, Palazzo, who represents South Mississippi, said in a news release Friday before the court’s ruling: “Americans deserve assurances that we can trust our democratic process and that the 2020 presidential election was secure and free of corruption.
“This amicus brief is about affirming our deep concerns with the integrity of our election system. Honest and transparent elections are the bedrock of our American democracy.”
Electoral College expected to seal Biden presidency
Mississippi’s attorney general, Lynn Fitch, also joined 16 other state attorneys general in supporting the Texas lawsuit, the latest in a string of failed election challenges, with more than 50 filed on behalf of President Donald Trump.
The Supreme Court found that the state of Texas had no legal standing to pursue a lawsuit that challenged election results in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Rejection of the lawsuit came as the Electoral College prepared to meet Monday with the expectation being that President-elect Joe Biden will be declared the winner.
After the Supreme Court ruling, the Republican Party chairman in Texas, Allen West, suggested in a publicly released statement that “perhaps law-abiding states should bond together and form a Union of states that will abide by the constitution.”
The attorneys general of the four states where Texas wanted to challenge the election results filed opposition briefs with the Supreme Court.
The Pennsylvania brief said:
“Texas brings to the court only discredited allegations and conspiracy theories that have no basis in fact. And Texas asks this court to contort its original jurisdiction jurisprudence in an election where millions of people cast ballots under truly extraordinary circumstances, sometimes risking their very health and safety to do so.”
This story was originally published December 12, 2020 at 12:56 PM.
