GOP Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers announced Wednesday evening she will reverse her position on challenging President-elect Joe Biden’s victory after rioters forced a shutdown of the House and Senate chambers of the US Capitol.
Describing the episode as “disgraceful and un-American,” McMorris-Rodgers said in a statement, “I have decided I will vote to uphold the Electoral College results and I encourage Donald Trump to condemn and put an end to this madness.”
She explained that her planned objection to counting electoral votes “was to give voice to the concern that governors and courts unilaterally changed election procedures without the will of the people and outside of the legislative process.”
“I have been consistent in my belief that Americans should utilize the Constitutional tools and legal processes available to seek answers to their questions about the 2020 election,” she continued.
McMorris-Rodgers’ reversal came after chaos at the Capitol, when supporters spurred by Trump breached the complex and threw into question when Congress would resume counting the Electoral College votes and declare Biden the winner of the election.
Only after pleading from aides and congressional allies inside the besieged Capitol did Trump release a video urging the rioters to “go home,” while still fanning their baseless grievances about a stolen election.
In the video, he also praised the crowd, who broke into the Capitol using force, stole items from its rooms and posed for photographs in the legislative chambers. “We love you,” Trump said. “You’re very special.”
McMorris-Rodgers had been just one of more than 100 House Republicans who were planning to object to counting electoral votes for Biden. It’s unclear how other GOP lawmakers who had planned to contest the results will proceed.
The House and Senate chambers are being cleaned so the full Senate and House can resume proceedings as soon as 8 p.m. ET, Hill sources told CNN.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
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