Report surfaced Thursday that Sen. Majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) raged at Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) during an early morning GOP Senate conference call, demanding an explanation for why the latter lawmaker had pledged to contest the electoral college results on Jan. 6.
McConnell was reportedly puzzled as why to why Hawley refused to answer, until ultimately realizing that Hawley had never joined the conference call to begin with.
Politico’s Alex Isenstadt was the first to post the news to Twitter on Thursday, stating “McConnell held a conference call with Senate Republicans this morning in which he pressed Hawley multiple times to explain his plans to object to the Electoral College. McConnell was met with silence, per multiple people familiar with the call. Turns out Hawley wasn’t present.”
McConnell held a conference call with Senate Republicans this morning in which he pressed Hawley multiple times to explain his plans to object to the Electoral College. McConnell was met with silence, per multiple people familiar with the call. Turns out Hawley wasn’t present
— Alex Isenstadt (@politicoalex) December 31, 2020
McConnell had previously warned Republicans against challenging the electoral college results on behalf of free and fair elections in early December.
The Senate Majority Leader has repeatedly taken positions that stand in direct opposition to President Donald Trump on issues such election integrity, foreign aid, and stimulus payments to American citizens.
Hawley announced on Thursday that he would be joining House Rep. Mo Brooks’ effort to challenge the electoral college results on Jan 6, as reported by National File:
“I cannot vote to certify the electoral college results on January 6 without raising the fact that some states, particularly Pennsylvania, failed to follow their own state election laws,” Hawley wrote in a statement released on Wednesday.
“And I cannot vote to certify without pointing out the unprecedented effort of mega corporations, including Facebook and Twitter, to interfere in this election, in support of Joe Biden. At the very least, Congress should investigate allegations of voter fraud and adopt measures to secure the integrity of our elections. But Congress has so far failed to act,” Hawley wrote.
Hawley has also been a vocal proponent of raising the amount included in stimulus checks from $600 to $2,000, a proposal fervently opposed by McConnell.
McConnell has landed himself in hot water recently for his opposition to policies supported by the President and the overwhelming majority of the Republican base, as well as recent reports from National File that unearthed his familial ties to the foreign power of the People’s Republic of China.
READ MORE: McConnell Has Family Ties to Bank of China, Top Chinese Shipping Firm