Maryland Republican rep defies calls for resignation; maintains objections to Electoral College vote count
WASHINGTON - A Maryland Republican Congressman is maintaining his objections to the Electoral College vote count, and defying calls from his Democratic colleagues to resign.
Right-wing activists poured in to D.C. this week to support President Donald Trump, and to protest the results of the 2020 Election, which former Vice President Joe Biden won.
A number of Republican members of Congress reversed course on their objections to the Electoral College vote count in the wake of the pro-Trump insurrection that saw protesters swarm the U.S. Capitol.
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Congressman Andy Harris – who represents Maryland’s 2nd Congressional District – issued a statement on Thursday regarding his stance:
I have routinely and consistently rejected violent protests, whether in the case of yesterday, or last summer. Democrats are calling for unity, yet also calling for the expulsion of Members who objected in yesterday’s Electoral College count. Today, some Marylanders are even calling for my resignation, which I will not do. My colleagues and I held legitimate Constitutional concerns about how the November election was conducted in certain states and felt compelled to highlight those concerns during the formal vote count. We did not call for the overthrowing of an election. Joe Biden will be President on January 20th. Some of my colleagues, including those still in the Maryland delegation, offered objections in 2017 when counting the electoral votes for President Trump. Congress is afforded the right to count, and object, to electoral votes, which we utilized yesterday to highlight concerns we had regarding the November election. There was nothing treasonous or seditious about it in 2017, nor this year.
Harris was responding to a call from the Maryland Democratic Party demanding his resignation.
READ MORE: Congress certifies Biden’s 2020 election win after violent pro-Trump riot in Capitol
In a statement issued Thursday, Maryland Democrats said Harris was complicit in the attacks – which led to the deaths of five people, including a U.S. Capitol police officer.
During the Electoral College vote count – which resumed following the attack – Harris reportedly engaged in a dispute with Texas Democrat Collin Allred that "nearly came to blows" around 2 a.m. and the pair had to be separated by Congressional staffers.