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- A group of Republican lawmakers said they planned to object to certifying the Electoral College vote on Wednesday during a joint session of Congress.
- But following a violent siege on the Capitol that caused Congress to evacuate, some GOP party members have reversed course.
- Sen. Steve Daines and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, both Republicans, issued statements saying they now plan to vote in favor of certifying electoral votes. Sen. Mike Braun also said “today changed things drastically.”
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Following a violent siege by supporters of President Donald Trump at the US Capitol on Wednesday, some Republican lawmakers who had planned to object to certifying the Electoral College vote have changed their positions.
Sen. Steve Daines of Montana and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington issued statements announcing they now plan to vote to uphold the electoral votes.
Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana, who earlier in the day had signed a letter objecting to electors from Arizona, also said “today changed things drastically,” according to NBC journalist Frank Thorp. “Get this ugly day behind us.”
All three lawmakers were among a group of Republican congressmen who said they would object to certifying the Electoral College vote on Wednesday during a joint session of Congress that is usually procedural.
As a last ditch move to dispute the results of the presidential election, Trump had called on his supporters to rally in DC to protest the certification. The session descended into chaos when a pro-Trump mob breached the Capitol, forcing lawmakers to evacuate and prompting an armed standoff in the House.
The violence was condemned by lawmakers from both parties.
In a statement announcing he will vote to certify the electoral college votes, Daines said: "The destruction and violence we saw at our Capitol today is an assault on our democracy, our Constitution, and the rule of law, and must not be tolerated."
"We will not let today's violence deter Congress from certifying the election," he said.
McMorris Rodgers also condemned the violence in a Facebook post, saying: "Thugs assaulted Capitol Police Officers, breached and defaced our Capitol Building, put people's lives in danger, and disregarded the values we hold dear as Americans."
"I have decided I will vote to uphold the Electoral College results and I encourage Donald Trump to condemn and put an end to this madness," she said.
Some Republican lawmakers have doubled down on their plans to object, including Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona who said in a tweet the incidents at the Capitol "will not deter our mission for truth and transparency."
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia also said in a tweet that she will still object to the electoral count, saying "despicable violence committed by fringe agitators" will not derail her objection.