'Don't argue with fools!' Top Democrat Cedric Richmond warns party's reps not to get dragged into debate in Congress over Republicans' bid to overturn the election results on Wednesday
President Trump's demand that Congress overturn the election results in states he lost has provoked a split in his party – and Democratic leaders are now cautioning their own members to steer clear of arguments when the vote gets certified.
Rep. Cedric Richmond, a Louisiana Democrat who is joining the incoming Biden administration as director of White House engagement, has told colleagues there isn't an upside to jumping into a point-by-point clash over Trump's election fraud claims.
'You don't argue with fools, because at a distance you can’t tell who the fool is,' he said on a party conference call Monday, Politico reported.
'You don't argue with fools,' Representative Cedric Richmond, a Democrat from Louisiana is urging colleauges
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is mindful of the spectacle that the election challenges could provoke – and wants her members to be 'dignified' through the process – although unsubstantiated allegations of widespread fraud by Texas GOP Rep. Louis Goehmert and others is certain to provoke an angry backlash.
The House meets Wednesday in a special joint session to count the Electoral College votes.
The number of Republican senators planning to go along with election challenges grew to 13 at Trump's Georgia rally when Sen. Kelly Loeffler announced she was behind the effort.
But the leaked recording of Trump's call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger may have undermined the Senate GOP efforts by linking claims the lawmakers hitched to the Constitution to the president's request that Raffensperger 'find' 11,780 votes for him.
It was unclear if the explosive call had prompted Senate Republicans to dial back some of their plans and focus on a smaller number of states to launch challenges.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants Democrats to remain dignified as Republicans challenge the election Joe Biden won by 306 to 232 electoral votes
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) says he will raise election challenges
President Donald Trump asked Georgia's secretary of state to 'find' 11,780 votes for him
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley was the first senator to say publicly he would back election challenges
Georgia election official Gabriel Sterling debunked many of the president's 'fantastical' claims in a press conference Monday.
GOP strategist Doug Heye told The Hill regarding Trump's leaked call: 'The tape now makes it harder for other people to join on. They had a legal process argument that they could make even if it wasn't the most credible one,” he continued. “The tape blows that out of the water."
Whatever Democratic leaders caution, rank-and-file Democrats who get opportunities to speak when Republicans raise protests to states' electoral votes are likely to get heated.
'It’s treasonous. The fact of the matter is the election results have been certified,' said Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif. Party leaders are preparing for tense debates on Wednesday
Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) is among those who have erupted at Republicans going along with Trump's effort.
'It’s treasonous. The fact of the matter is the election results have been certified,' he said.
If a House and Senate member object to a state's certification, each chamber will meet separately for two hours to consider the challenge, where members will give speeches, followed by a vote.
More than 100 House Republicans are expected to back election challenges.