La. lawmakers join bid to block Dem electors, launch fraud probe

One state lawmaker and two members of Congress who represent St. Mary made have urged Congress to block the acceptance of Democratic electors who would confirm former Vice President Joe Biden’s election as president.

U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins and state Rep. Beryl Amedee are all asking Congress to investigate allegations of voter fraud in the swing states that handed the election to Biden.

On Sunday, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Baton Rouge, joined a bipartisan group of 11 senators urging
Congress to accept Biden's election.

Congress is set to take up what would ordinarily be a routine piece of electoral paperwork, the certification of electors, on Wednesday.

On Saturday, Kennedy joined six fellow GOP senators and four Republicans who were elected to the Senate in November in saying they’ll vote against certifying the Biden-Harris electors from disputed states Wednesday. They’re seeking the appointment of a commission to investigate allegations of voting irregularities in states where results are disputed.

“A fair and credible audit — conducted expeditiously and completed well before January 20 — would dramatically improve Americans’ faith in our electoral process and would significantly enhance the legitimacy of whoever becomes our next President,” Kennedy said in a statement Saturday.

Higgins, R-Lafayette, represents the 3rd Congressional District, which covers St. Mary and St. Martin west to the Texas line.

Higgins said he has been looking into allegations of election fraud for a month. He plans to vote against certification of the Biden-Harris electors Wednesday.

“There is sufficient evidence, at a minimum, to investigate criminal acts, which may have compromised the integrity of our election,” he said in a statement Thursday. “This effort and action to safeguard our election systems must continue, even beyond January 20, 2021.”

As many as 140 U.S. House Republicans could vote against certification, according to national media accounts, although the Democratic majority there is widely expected to prevail.

The most specific set of grievances came not from the federal level but in a letter from 24 state House members, including Amedee, R-Gray. They urge members of Louisiana’s Republican congressional delegation to reject Democratic electors from the states that lifted Biden to victory Nov. 3: Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

“Nineteen states have challenged the constitutional ‘appointment’ of the electors for the six states where much of the fraud occurred,” Amedee said in a press release distributed by the Louisiana Republican Party. “It is clear that roughly half the country disputes ‘the results’ of the election in these swing states.

“Louisiana has worked hard to protection election integrity. For Congress to casually certify elections results from states where blatant fraud was tolerated is offensive and unacceptable.”

The statement from Kennedy quoted a Reuters/Ipsos poll as finding that 38% of Americans, including 67% of Republicans, believe the presidential election is rigged.

Cassidy joined Republican U.S. Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski, independent Angus King and five Democrats in urging Congress to accept the Biden electors.

The text of the statement:

“The 2020 election is over. All challenges through recounts and appeals have been exhausted. At this point, further attempts to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 Presidential election are contrary to the clearly expressed will of the American people and only serve to undermine Americans’ confidence in the already determined election results. The voters have spoken, and Congress must now fulfill its responsibility to certify the election results. In two weeks, we will begin working with our colleagues and the new Administration on bipartisan, common sense solutions to the enormous challenges facing our country. It is time to move forward.”

The Kennedy and Higgins statements and the letter from the state House are attached below.