Top Pennsylvania Republican Vows to Review 2020 Election Results

Politics|A apical Republican successful Pennsylvania promises to reappraisal the 2020 results arsenic conspiracy theories flourish.

• Aug. 24, 2021Updated 2:34 p.m. ET

The apical Republican successful the Pennsylvania State Senate promised this week to transportation retired a wide reappraisal of the 2020 predetermination results, a determination that comes arsenic G.O.P. lawmakers proceed to sow doubts astir the contest’s legitimacy by pushing to re-examine votes successful battleground states like Arizona.

State Senator Jake Corman, who serves arsenic president pro tempore of the G.O.P.-controlled chamber, made the comments successful an interrogation with a right-wing vigor host, and they were archetypal reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer connected Tuesday. His remarks were the strongest motion yet that Pennsylvania — which President Biden won by more than 80,000 votes — whitethorn property guardant with a reappraisal of 2020 results, contempt nary grounds of elector fraud that would person affected the outcome.

In the interview, Mr. Corman said that helium wanted to statesman “almost immediately” and that hearings would statesman this week. He added that helium expected to usage the afloat powerfulness of the state’s General Assembly, including subpoenas, to behaviour the review, which helium referred to arsenic a “forensic investigation.”

“We tin bring radical in, we tin enactment them nether oath, we tin subpoena records, and that’s what we request to bash and that’s what we’re going to do,” Mr. Corman said. “And truthful we’re going to determination forward.”

Previously, State Senator Doug Mastriano, a Republican and vocal proponent of erstwhile President Donald J. Trump’s falsehoods astir the election, had called for a reappraisal of results successful 3 counties.

Until precocious the seat of the Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee, helium sent letters requesting ballots, records and machines from Philadelphia County, which encompasses the state’s largest metropolis and which Mr. Biden won with implicit 80 percent of the vote; York County, southbound of Harrisburg, which Mr. Trump won handily; and Tioga County, successful the bluish portion of the state, which Mr. Trump besides carried with ease. All 3 counties refused to comply, and Mr. Mastriano’s ineligible authorization to enforce the requests remains unclear.

Last week, Mr. Corman removed Mr. Mastriano from his presumption arsenic seat of the committee and installed State Senator Cris Dush, besides a Republican, to pb the sheet and oversee the review.

In the interview, Mr. Corman expressed his ain doubts astir the election.

“I don’t needfully person religion successful the results,” helium said. “I deliberation that determination were galore problems successful our predetermination that we request to get to the bottommost of.”

Mr. Corman’s bureau did not respond to a petition for comment.

Veronica Degraffenreid, who arsenic the acting caput of the commonwealth oversees Pennsylvania’s elections, has discouraged counties from participating successful immoderate predetermination reviews, noting that immoderate inspection of voting machines by uncredentialed 3rd parties would effect successful their decertification, and that counties would person to carnivore the sizeable costs of replacing the equipment.

“The Department of State encourages counties to garbage to enactment successful immoderate sham reappraisal of past elections that would necessitate counties to interruption the spot of their voters and disregard their statutory work to support the concatenation of custody of their ballots and voting equipment,” Ms. Degraffenreid’s bureau said successful a connection past month.

It remains unclear precisely however Mr. Corman and the Pennsylvania Senate volition proceed with their review, including what they mightiness question successful presumption of instrumentality and records, and which counties they mightiness absorption on. Mr. Corman did accidental that, aft talking with chap legislators successful Arizona, helium was looking for a “neutral arbiter” to assistance transportation retired the reappraisal — a imaginable motion to however the Maricopa County reappraisal became wide ridiculed successful portion due to the fact that the main enforcement of the institution carrying retired the re-examination had promoted conspiracy theories astir rigged voting machines costing Mr. Trump triumph successful the state.

“I deliberation it’s important that we get radical progressive that don’t person ties to anybody, that are professional, that volition bash the occupation truthful that we tin basal down the results,” Mr. Corman said.