Jan 6, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Some Republicans reverse course, no longer object to Biden certification

Jacob Knutson

Lawmakers in Congress on Jan. 6 before being evacuated from the chamber as Trump supporters storm the Capitol Building. Photo: Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Multiple Republicans lawmakers dropped their objections to the certification of the Electoral College count on Wednesday night after a pro-Trump mob violently breached the U.S. Capitol Building earlier in the day.

Why it matters: GOP members of Congress who initially said they would object to the count reversed course before Congress reconvened and condemned the president's supporters who stormed the building.

The big picture: Before Congress rejoined, Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.), who originally indicated they would object to the certification, condemned the violence on Capitol Hill and said they would vote for certification.

Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) said on the Senate floor after Congress reassembled that she could not object to the certification after the riot, saying she "cannot now in good conscience object."

The other side: Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) indicated that he would continue to object to the certification, saying the certification debate is "the appropriate place" to raise concerns about election security.

Go deeper: Republicans round on Trump after mob violence at the Capitol

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Some Republicans reverse course, no longer object to Biden certification

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