Thread by @jbendery

It's been a year since 147 Republicans voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election after fueling a lie about widespread voter fraud.

I asked all of them if they think Biden fairly won and if they regret their vote.

Nearly all declined to answer. huffpost.com/entry/january-…

Some reactions from Republican senators when I asked if they believe -- more than a year later -- that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election.

Ted Cruz: "Call our press office."

What?

This was not awkward.

I went ahead and asked Ted Cruz's press office if Ted Cruz thinks Biden was elected president fair and square -- at Ted Cruz's request that they say how Ted Cruz feels.

"Thanks, Jen, we’ll check on this,” his spokesperson emailed back.

They never responded after that.

“Who are you with?” said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) when I asked if he regretted his Jan. 6 vote to overturn the presidential election results.

When I said HuffPost, Kennedy walked away.

“Yeah, I don’t have anything for you on that,” he said. “I have people waiting on me.”

So I asked Kennedy the same question again a couple of weeks later, in the event he actually had people waiting on him that first time.

“I don’t have anything for you,” he said again, walking away.

Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) actually laughed as I started asking her about her vote against certifying Biden’s election.

“I don’t do hallway interviews,” she said, stepping into a public elevator in the Senate.

So I asked Hyde-Smith if she'd answer my question in an elevator.

She just chuckled again as the doors closed.

“I don’t do them in the elevator, either.”

Then there were GOP senators who seemed annoyed at having to answer the question at all.

“He’s the constitutionally elected president,” said Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who voted against certifying Biden’s election. “I’ve said it like a zillion times."

So... does that mean Scott regrets his vote against certifying Biden's electoral win?

"No," Scott said flatly. huffpost.com/entry/january-…

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Then there were the GOP senators who cheerfully said yes, of course, Biden was elected president, fair and square -- despite the fact that they voted against certifying the election results based on a big lie about widespread voter fraud.

Did Biden win the presidency, fair and square?

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.): Yes!
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.): Yes!

Ok so do you regret your vote against certifying the election results?

Hawley: No!
Tuberville: No! huffpost.com/entry/january-…

Of the 139 House Republicans who voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results after spreading a lie about widespread voter fraud, I only heard back from one office -- one! -- about whether they regret that vote.

As far as I can tell, Rep. Tom Rice (S.C.) is the only House GOPer -- out of 139 -- who has said he regrets his vote against certifying Biden's electoral win.

He told Politico last month he should have voted to certify b/c "Trump was responsible for the attack on the Capitol.”

As we head into Jan. 6, here are the names of all 147 Republicans who voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results based on a lie about widespread voter fraud -- just hours after that same lie fueled a deadly insurrection at the Capitol. huffpost.com/entry/republic…

Among the names on this list:

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)
House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.)
House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.)

Speaking of Kevin McCarthy, a reminder that he went on national TV to straight-up lie about Trump winning the 2020 election after he'd lost.
huffpost.com/entry/trump-fr…

"President Trump won this election," McCarthy falsely claimed in an interview Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, two days after Election Day. “Everyone who’s listening: Do not be quiet. Do not be silent about this. We cannot allow this to happen before our very eyes.”