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Loeffler addresses Senate chamber
Sen. Kelly Loeffler, speaking on the floor of the Senate chamber after a mob protesting the certification of the Electoral College votes, said she is withdrawing her object to the count.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sen. Kelly Loeffler, speaking on the floor of the Senate chamber after a mob protesting the certification of the Electoral College votes, said she is withdrawing her object to the count.
Loeffler, who lost a close runoff election on Tuesday against Democratic challenger Rev. Raphael Warnock, spoke just after 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.
"When I arrived in Washington this morning I fully intended to object to the certification of Electoral votes," Loeffler said addressing the chamber. "However, the events of the events that have transpired today forced me to reconsider and I cannot, now, in good conscience object to this certification of these electors."
"The violence, the lawlessness, and siege of the halls of Congress are abhorrent and stand as a direct attack on the very institution my objection was intended to protect, the sanctity of the American democratic process," Loeffler continued.
The senator, who was appointed a year ago by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp to fill the seat of the retired Sen. Johnny Isakson, thanked law enforcement for keeping her and her fellow senators safe.
She went on to say that she still believes there were last-minute changes made to the states' election rules, but that the right thing to do is to move forward to address those issues.
"Too many Americans are frustrated with what they see as an unfair system, nevertheless, there is no excuse for the events that took place in these chambers today and I pray that America never suffers such a dark day again," Loeffler continued.
The senator said the fate of the vote in the Senate is clear, but that the country’s faith remains uncertain. She charged the Senate with turning their attention to correcting that.
"America is a divided country with serious differences but it is still the greatest country on earth. There can be no disagreement that upholding democracy is the old path in preserving our republic," Loeffler concluded.
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Georgia’s Electoral votes accepted
Rep. Jody Hice, R-GA 10th, rose to object to Georgia's Electoral votes on Jan. 6, 2021, but the object was not accepted because Sen. Kelly Loeffler had withdrawn her object earlier in the day.
The joint session of Congress reconvened later that evening. Shortly after 11:30 p.m., Vice President Mike Pence brought Georgia's Electoral votes to the floor.
"Myself, members of the Georgia delegation and some 74 of Republican colleagues and I object to the Electoral votes from the state of Georgia on the grounds the election conducted Nov. 3 was faulty and fraudulent due to unilateral actions by the secretary of state to unlawfully change the election process without approval of the General Assembly and thereby setting the stage for an unprecedented amount of fraud and irregularity. And I have signed the object myself," Rep. Jody Hice, R-GA 10th, said.
When questioned by the vice president if there was a senator who co-signed the object, as prescribed by law, Hice responded:
"Prior to the actions and events of today, we did, but following the events of today, it appears the senator has withdrawn their objection."
The chamber then erupted in applause as Pence responded that the object could not then be entertained.
Later, Freshman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia 14, rose to object to the Michigan Elector votes, but again, Pence turned down entertaining the object because a senator had not co-signed the objection.
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