AND I HAVE WON A LOT OF
ELECTIONS.
>> WATCHING THE ARGUMENT IN THE
HOUSE.
WANT TO TAKE YOU NOW TO THE
DEBATE IN THE SENATE.
SENATOR HAWLEY, WHO HAD KIND OF
LED THE IDEA OF OPPOSING
ACCEPTING THESE ELECTORAL VOTES
IS NOW SPEAKING.
>> IN THE CAPITOL OF THE UNITED
STATES, AND IN THIS COUNTRY, IN
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WE
CANNOT SAY EMPHATICALLY ENOUGH
VIOLENCE IS NOT HOW YOU ACHIEVE
CHANGE.
VIOLENCE IS NOT HOW YOU ACHIEVE
SOMETHING BETTER.
OUR CONSTITUTION WAS BUILT AND
PUT INTO PLACE SO THAT THERE
WOULD BE, IN THE WORDS OF
ABRAHAM LINCOLN, NO APPEAL FROM
BALLOTS TO BULLETS.
WHICH IS WHAT WE SAW,
UNFORTUNATELY, ATTEMPTED
TONIGHT.
THERE IS NO PLACE FOR THAT IN
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
AND THAT’S WHY I SUBMIT TO MY
COLLEAGUES THAT WHAT WE’RE DOING
HERE, TONIGHT, IS ACTUALLY VERY
IMPORTANT.
BECAUSE, FOR THOSE WHO HAVE
CONCERNS ABOUT THE INTEGRITY OF
OUR ELECTIONS, THOSE WHO HAVE
CONCERNS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN
NOVEMBER.
THIS IS THE APPROPRIATE MEANS.
THIS IS THE LAWFUL PLACE, WHERE
THOSE OBJECTIONS AND CONCERNS
SHOULD BE HEARD.
THIS IS THE FORUM THAT THE LAW
PROVIDES FOR OUR LAWS PROVIDE
FOR, FOR THOSE CONCERNS TO BE
REGISTERED.
NOT THROUGH VIOLENCE, NOT BY
APPEALING FROM BALLOTS TO
BULLETS, BUT HERE, IN THIS
LAWFUL PROCESS.
AND SO, TO THOSE WHO SAY THAT
THIS IS JUST A FORMALITY, TODAY,
AN ANTIQUE CEREMONY THAT WE’VE
ENGAGED IN FOR A COUPLE HUNDRED
YEARS, I CAN’T SAY THAT I AGREE.
I CAN’T SAY THAT OUR PRECEDENCE
SUGGEST THAT.
I ACTUALLY THINK IT’S VERY VITAL
WHAT WE DO, THE OPPORTUNITY TO
BE HEARD, TO REGISTER
OBJECTIONS, IS VERY VITAL
BECAUSE THIS IS THE PLACE WHERE
THOSE OBJECTIONS ARE TO BE HEARD
AND DEALT WITH, DEBATED, AND
FINALLY, RESOLVED.
IN THIS LAWFUL MEANS,
PEACEFULLY, WITHOUT VIOLENCE,
WITHOUT ATTACKS, WITHOUT
BULLETS.
AND SO, MR. PRESIDENT, LET ME
JUST SAY NOW, PREVIOUSLY, IN
LIEU OF SPEAKING ABOUT IT LATER,
WORD ABOUT PENNSYLVANIA WHICH IS
A STATE THAT I HAVE BEEN FOCUSED
ON, AS AN EXAMPLE TO WHY PEOPLE
ARE CONCERNED.
MILLIONS OF AMERICANS, CONCERNED
ABOUT OUR ELECTION INTEGRITY.
PENNSYLVANIA, QUITE APART FROM
ALLEGATIONS OF ANY FRAUD, YOU
HAVE A STATE CONSTITUTION THAT
HAS BEEN INTERPRETED FOR OVER A
CENTURY TO SAY THAT THERE IS NO
MAIL-IN BALLOTING PERMITTED,
EXCEPT FOR IN VERY NARROW
CIRCUMSTANCES, THAT’S ALSO
PROVIDED FOR IN THE LAW.
AND YET, LAST YEAR,
PENNSYLVANIA-ELECTED OFFICIALS
PASSED A WHOLE, NEW LAW THAT
ALLOWS UNIVERSAL MAIL-IN
BALLOTING, AND DID IT
IRREGARDLESS OF WHAT THE
PENNSYLVANIA CONSTITUTION SAID.
AND THEN, WHEN PENNSYLVANIA
CITIZENS TRIED TO GO AND BE
HEARD ON THIS SUBJECT BEFORE THE
PENNSYLVANIA SUPREME COURT, THEY
WERE DISMISSED ON GROUNDS OF
PROCEDURE.
TIMELINESS.
IN VIOLATION OF THAT SUPREME
COURT’S OWN PRECEDENT.
SO, THE MITS OF THE CASE HAVE
NEVER BEEN HEARD.
THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF THE
STATUTE’S ACTUALLY NEVER BEEN
DEFENDED.
I AM NOT AWARE OF ANY COURT
THAT’S PASSED ON ITS
CONSTITUTIONALITY.
ACTUALLY, NOT AWARE OF ANYBODY
WHO’S DEFENDED ITS
CONSTITUTIONALITY.
AND THIS WAS WHAT -- THIS WAS
THE STATUTE THAT GOVERNED THIS
LAST ELECTION, IN WHICH THERE
WERE OVER 2.5 MILLION MAIL-IN
BALLOTS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
THIS IS MY POINT.
THAT, THIS IS THE FORUM THE
PENNSYLVANIA SUPREME COURT
HASN’T HEARD THE CASE.
THERE IS NO OTHER COURT TO GO
TO, TO HEAR THE CASE IN THE
STATE.
AND SO, THIS IS THE APPROPRIATE
PLACE FOR THESE CONCERNS TO BE
RAISED, WHICH IS WHY I HAVE
RAISED THEM HERE, TODAY.
AND I HOPE THAT THIS BODY WILL
NOT MISS THE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION TO ADDRESS
THE CONCERNS OF SO MANY MILLIONS
OF AMERICANS.
TO SAY TO MILLIONS OF AMERICANS,
TONIGHT, THAT VIOLENCE IS NEVER
WARRANTED.
THAT VIOLENCE WILL NOT BE
TOLERATED.
THAT THOSE WHO ENGAGED IN IT
WILL BE PROSECUTED.
BUT THAT THIS BODY WILL ACT TO
ADDRESS CONCERNS OF ALL
AMERICANS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
WE DO NEED AN INVESTIGATION INTO
IRREGULARITIES, FRAUD.
WE DO NEED A WAY FORWARD,
TOGETHER.
WE NEED ELECTION-SECURITY
REFORMS.
I BET, MY FRIENDS ON THE OTHER
SIDE OF THE AISLE DON’T DISAGREE
WITH THAT.
WE NEED TO FIND A WAY TO MOVE
FORWARD ON THAT, TOGETHER.
SO THAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE,
FROM BOTH PARTIES, ALL WALKS OF
LIFE, CAN HAVE CONFIDENCE IN
THEIR ELECTIONS AND THAT WE CAN
ARRANGE OURSELVES UNDER THE RULE
OF LAW THAT WE SHARE TOGETHER.