TN Lawmakers Condemn Electoral Violence, Continue to Question Results
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By Nadia Ramlagan, Public News Service - TN - Producer, Contact
January 7, 2021NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Lawmakers vowed to complete their official acceptance of states' electoral votes last night, after protestors delayed the process in Congress that confirms President-elect Joe Biden's win.
The angry mob surrounded and breached the U.S. Capitol, in protests that left one person dead.
In a slew of tweets, Tennessee lawmakers condemned the actions.
Gov. Bill Lee, R-Tennessee, called them "inexcusable" and an "affront to our founding principles and freedoms." Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, said they're "truly despicable" and "unacceptable."
But Meredith McGehee, executive director for the advocacy group Issue One, said it isn't enough to condemn the mob after the fact.
She believes lawmakers who have questioned the election results, including 29 members of the Tennessee General Assembly, have eroded public faith in voter representation.
"So, when you have about a fifth of the Senate and maybe 150 representatives start saying that the system is rigged or is untrustworthy, then it begins to erode kind of the basis of how a democratic republic is supposed to work," McGehee argued.
Blackburn and Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tennessee, both said they plan to oppose the electoral results.
Last week, State Rep. Bruce Griffey, R-Paris, sent a letter to Tennessee's congressional delegation, asking members to support a congressional investigation into what he described as "widespread voter fraud" in Arizona, Georgia and Wisconsin.
McGehee added political turmoil over election results also plays in the favor of foreign adversaries, like China and Russia.
"This is kind of the lit match that we're playing with at this point, and that's why this is so dangerous," McGehee contended. "Whether you think, you know, President Trump is your pick or not, it is dangerous for the system."
The Senate reconvened last night to restart the Electoral College count.
Following the protests, major social media companies, including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, removed a video message released by President Trump. Twitter said it had locked the president's account for at least 12 hours.
