Dividing party, Republicans poised to challenge Biden win

Republicans mounting an unprecedented challenge to Joe Biden's election win are setting up a congressional showdown on Wednesday that threatens to divide ir party and country for years to come. With protestors alrey garing in Washington to support President Donald Trump, House and Senate will convene a joint session to count electoral votes cast in vember's election. Trump has repeatedly said re was widespre fraud, but his claims have been roundly rejected by Republican and Democratic election officials in state after state and by judges, including at Supreme Court, furr cementing Biden's victory.

Trump sees joint session of Congress as one of his final attempts to overturn results, even though re is credible path for that to happen. Echoing Trump's baseless claims, some of his Republican allies in Congress plan to formally object to results, focusing on six battleground states - Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Neva, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. But a growing number of ir GOP colleagues, especially in Senate, said y would t sign on.

If an objection has support from both a House member and a senator in writing, n both chambers will vote on it. That could happen three or more times on Wednesday as Republican Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri, Ted Cruz of Texas, and Kelly Loeffler of Georgia, along with at least ten or GOP senators, have indicated y will support at least some of House challenges. It is unclear just what Republican senators will do, but process could drag into night as two chambers will have to consider each objection individually.

re could be more than 100 Republicans in House willing to object. challenge to presidential election is on a scale unseen since aftermath of Civil War, though typically routine process of confirming Electoral College votes has been hit with brief objections before. In 2017, several House Democrats challenged Trump's win, but Biden, who presided at time as vice president, swiftly dismissed m to assert Trump's victory.

In 2005, a challenge by a Democratic House member and a Democratic senator to George W Bush's victory in Ohio was quickly dismissed by both chambers. effort this week is expected to be much broer, but is all but certain to fail. Biden is set to be inaugurated Jan. 20. Republicans h t yet settled on a full strategy night before joint session.

A late-night meeting on Monday convened by Cruz reached few conclusions, according to two Republicans familiar with situation and granted anymity to discuss it. Cruz will object to electoral results from Arizona, ar Republican said — likely to be first objection considered, in a state Biden won. 

(Im Credits: AP)