Congressional Record/Volume 167/Issue 4/Senate/Counting of Electoral Ballots/Arizona Objection Debate/Feinstein Speech
Mrs. Feinstein. Mr. President. Today has been a dark day that will take a long time and a lot of work to overcome. It has been a day truly unworthy of our Nation.
I thank the U.S. Capitol Police, the U.S. Secret Service, the law enforcement officers from Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia, the National Guard, and others who have protected this institution and the U.S. Congress today.
There will be time to say more about today’s events, but I rise now to speak about the unprecedented actions today to attempt to undermine a fairly and properly conducted democratic election.
Under our system of government, States bear the primary responsibility for runninq elections and certifying election results, and that is exactly what we have seen—all 50 States and the District of Columbia have certified the results of the 2020 Presidential election.
The results of the election are clear: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won.
Challenging these electoral votes now is the height of hypocrisy for a party that prides itself on States’ rights.
Even worse, today’s actions are based on the faulty premise that this election was somehow tainted by widespread fraud, which is flat out wrong.
Protesting these votes today is a disservice to our constitutional order and the more than 81 million Americans who voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
We must also recognize that today’s actions could echo far beyond this election. Our democratic Republic has survived as a result of certain bedrock principles, including the peaceful transfer of power and the right of the people to elect their leaders.
For Congress to challenge the legitimacy of electoral votes because President Trump is upset that he lost far exceeds our role as envisioned by our Founding Fathers.
These challenges threaten the very core of a functioning democracy—that voters and votes matter.
If a State’s electoral votes can be set aside by Congress based on conspiracy theories dreamed up by the President and his followers, the value of free and fair elections is damaged.
Mr. President, those who feel they needed to protest today’s results say they do so because of allegations of fraud. The problem is, those allegations all originate from President Trump himself.
The Justice Department found no evidence of widespread fraud. Attorney General Barr himself said there were no irregularities that could have affected the outcome of the election.
Likewise, our courts—including the Supreme Court—have tossed out lawsuit after lawsuit filed by President Trump and his allies, more than 60 in total.
I appreciate those Republicans Senators who have stood up for democracy and against these baseless objections to the election results.
Senator Romney called it an “egregious ploy.”
Senator Toomey said, “Allegations of fraud by a losing campaign cannot justify overturning an election.”
Senator Portman said, “I cannot support allowing Congress to thwart the will of the voters.”
And Senator Thune added, “It’s time for everybody to move on.”
He is right; the election is over. President-Elect Biden won.
Especially now, after all of the events of the day. It is truly time to get to work repairing our country.
Thank you, Mr. President, I yield the floor.