Another Indiana congressman confirmed he would vote to certify Electoral College votes, finalizing President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
A rattled Congress worked through the night Wednesday and early morning hours Thursday, counting the Electoral College votes to certify Biden’s win in the recent presidential election, after abruptly going to recess when a mob of angry President Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol earlier in the afternoon.
Rep. Trey Hollingsworth, a Republican representing Indiana’s Ninth Congressional district, confirmed late Wednesday that he would certify the Electoral College votes, despite dozens of his Republican colleagues refusing to do so.
“One thing I know for sure, it’s that the Constitution is explicit about the role and responsibilities of Congress here, and that is to count the certifications of votes,” Hollingsworth said in an interview with the Daily Journal. “I do not believe it is consistent with our Republican ideals to take away the voices in votes of over 100 million Americans.”
Hollingsworth joined Republican Indiana Sen. Todd Young, who also said publicly Wednesday he would certify the Electoral College votes. Sen. Mike Braun previously stated he would object to certifying some states’ votes, but changed his mind after the violent events on Wednesday.
Indiana Reps Jackie Walorski and Jim Banks had indicated they would object to the results.
Hollingsworth said he put his own personal beliefs aside for the good of the American people, adding that he voted for and supported Trump. It’s not Congress’s job to decide who is the next president, he said.
“Our founders were rightly skeptical of centralized controlled power, and I don’t believe 435 members of Congress should have control over the presidency,” Hollingsworth said.
He debated whether he would certify the votes, and came to this decision Tuesday, before the siege of the U.S. Capitol building Wednesday. That event reinforced the importance of his decision, and the fact that the country should be a “nation of laws,” which are determined by the Constitution, he said.
Hollingsworth was one of more than 100 members of Congress — five from Indiana — who called on the U.S. Supreme Court in December to hear a lawsuit from the state of Texas alleging that election practices in four battleground states where Trump lost were unconstitutional.
Hollingsworth would not explicitly say Wednesday if he believed claims of widespread voter fraud during the election, but said any claims of fraud, no matter what election it is, should be investigated, which these were. It is up to the courts to decide if any laws were broken, not Congress, he said.
“It’s not up to Congress to usurp its power because it believes others have usurped theirs,” Hollingsworth said.
