Missouri and Kansas are joining a growing list of states, led by Texas, in contesting the legality of how four states handled the Nov. 3 election. Eric Schmitt announced that the “Show-Me State” is “in the fight” after Texas announced its election challenge that would invalidate the 62 Electoral College votes from four battleground states and award President Trump with a second term.
“Election integrity is central to our republic,” Schmitt tweeted. “And I will defend it at every turn. As I have in other cases—I will help lead the effort in support of Texas’ #SCOTUS filing today. Missouri is in the fight.”
Election integrity is central to our republic. And I will defend it at every turn.
As I have in other cases – I will help lead the effort in support of Texas’ #SCOTUS filing today.
Missouri is in the fight. https://t.co/V3aLHrYnOF
— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) December 9, 2020
Schmitt’s tweet came shortly after Ken Paxton, the attorney general from Texas, explained his motivation behind the suit to Fox News’ ‘Hannity.’
He said that election management in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin—the states named in the suit—directly impacted voters in his state. In particular, he pointed to changes that were made to expand mail-in voting amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“If other states don’t follow the Constitution and if their state legislature isn’t responsible for overseeing their elections … it affects my state,” he said. “Our job is to make sure the Constitution is followed and that every vote counts. And in this case, I’m not sure every vote was counted. Not in the right way.”
Among the Republican attorneys general signing on to the brief was Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.
“Kansas ran its elections honestly and by the rules that are supposed to apply evenly to all of us. Texas asserts it can prove four states violated the U.S. Constitution in an election that affects all Americans, so Texas should be heard,” Schmidt said in a statement.
Paxton’s case stands on the grounds of Article II of the Constitution, which mandates state legislatures have the sole authority to manage and change election processes — a clause he aims to prove was ignored during the 2020 election.
The states named in the lawsuit called Paxton’s suit a political stunt and downplayed its chances to be successful. Paul Smith, a professor and election law expert at Georgetown University’s law school, told Reuters that there is “no possible way the state of Texas has standing to complain about how other states counted the votes and how they are about to cast their electoral votes.”
Attorneys general from Louisiana, Arkansas, and at least a half-dozen other states have reportedly announced their support of the lawsuit.
A chart of election irregularities and fraud claims has been published by The Epoch Times.
–Wire Services
