WASHINGTON — Rep. Andy Harris, the new chairman of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, says North Carolina’s Republican-controlled state legislature will elect the state’s electors to Donald Trump before all votes are counted. His video revealed that he suggested that the award should be considered. Remarks posted on social media on Friday.
During a question-and-answer session at the Maryland Republican Party dinner Thursday night, Harris cited the potential difficulty for residents in voting in North Carolina counties affected by Hurricane Helen. He said it “makes a lot of sense” for the state Legislature to convene a joint session to allocate the budget. State electors on Election Day, November 5th.
A Maryland Republican congressman responded to remarks by pro-Trump activist Ivan Reichlin at the Talbot County Lincoln-Reagan Dinner, saying Trump and others should call on Republican-led state legislatures in several states, including upstate states. proposed to the audience. Battleground states such as the Carolinas, Arizona and Georgia will convene on Election Day and award their electoral votes to Trump.
Mr. Reichlin posted a video of his interaction with Mr. Harris, as well as the full video of the event, including Harris’ remarks, on XFriday.
“In North Carolina, it makes a lot of sense,” Harris told Reichlin during a question and answer session before dozens of Republican attendees. “Statistically speaking, it means you can say, ‘Hey, look, you’ve been disenfranchised in 25 counties.’ You know what that vote is probably going to be, but if I were to vote in Congress. That would have been enough to say, “Yes, we have to convene Congress.” We cannot disenfranchise voters. ”
“But how do you argue that in other states? I mean, otherwise it just looks like a power play,” Harris continued. “That means it’s legal in North Carolina. So it could make a difference in that state because there are a lot of people who can’t vote.”
Harris said in a statement that Thursday’s “theoretical conversation” about the early granting of electoral votes by state legislatures was “taken out of context.”
“As we have said repeatedly, every legal vote must be counted. Right now, voting is proceeding smoothly in Western North Carolina,” Harris said, adding that any anomalies would certify Trump’s election victory. He placed the blame on Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who expressed doubts about whether he would vote to do so.
Harris, who swept Congress in 2010 with the Tea Party wave, was elected to the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus last month to replace Virginia Republican Rep. Bob Good, who ran against Trump and lost the primary election. was elected chairman.
Harris played a role in the Republican effort to overturn the 2020 election results. According to the committee on January 6, he attended a meeting between President Trump and House Republicans at the White House on December 21, 2020, where they discussed ways to overturn the election results.
At the Lincoln-Reagan Presidential Dinner on Thursday, Reichlin said that popular podcaster Joe Rogan, who was scheduled to interview President Trump on Friday, called on state legislatures across the country to convene on November 5th. “We should ask the former president about this,” he said. Assign your state’s electors. ”
“At least in North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nebraska, Arizona, Georgia, and Wisconsin, these states have made sure that no illegal votes are cast, that there are no illegal drop boxes, that there are no illegal signatures. We guarantee that it is unverified and that it is completely free and transparent,” Reichlin added. “And it will be streamed live on X, Rumble and C-SPAN for the whole world to see.”
Reichlin explained that Republicans have an advantage over Democrats in the state legislature, saying, “Currently, 276 electors are controlled by the Republican Legislature, and Republicans control the House and Senate. And Nebraska… What if Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, Donald Trump, and Tucker Carlson all called on this?
Democrats immediately criticized Harris for approving a proposal to allocate North Carolina’s electoral votes before voters head to the polls.
“It’s very important to understand the goal of the mainstream Republican Party: to make Donald Trump president whether he wins the election or not,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., tweeted. did.
