By Billy Webster
At 11:32 pm on Jan. 6, 2020 — nine hours after the initial wave of protestors stormed the Capitol — Congress reconvened to certify the electors and affirm the results of the presidential election.
Despite the violence that had caused him to lock himself and his staff in his office and despite the clear assault on one of the central pillars of democracy, our congressman voted against certifying the election results.
In justifying his actions, our congressman cited some vague notion of “manipulation of election laws,” and recited a litany of imagined fraudulent activities that he cloaked in some fancy hyper-legalistic rhetoric. He maintained that “no meaningful investigation” had taken place and that somehow the presidential election was tainted to the point that the institutions of our democratic government should be superseded.
Our congressman is an election denier. Despite clear evidence to the contrary, he maintains that the “Big Lie” is real. Why else would he proudly accept the nomination of Trump during his re-election campaign in 2022?
No evidence of election fraud has been found after two years of searching:
- Former President Trump’s own attorney general stated that no fraud had occurred.
- Three associate attorneys general stated that no fraud had occurred.
- The secretary of defense stated that no fraud had occurred.
- The director of homeland security stated that no fraud had occurred.
- Trump’s White House counsel stated that no fraud had occurred.
- Three assistant White House counsels stated that no fraud had occurred.
- Sixty-one courts (out of 62 cases filed) found that no fraud had occurred.
- Countless audits and recounts were conducted, and no evidence of fraud was uncovered.
- Even Trump’s own daughter stated that she knew of no fraud or evidence thereof.
So why does our congressman think it’s OK to continue to amplify the dangerous notion of the Big Lie?
The answer is simple: He puts his own career over the country. He puts loyalty to the radical right wing of his party over loyalty to the Constitution. It’s wrong. As Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-WY) stated, “No one of either party should vote for an election denier. No one.”
No one.
Behind closed doors, most election deniers admit the truth.
Billy Webster is an educator, entrepreneur, and civic leader. He has been appointed to various positions by two presidents – George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, serving in the Agency for International Development, The Department of Education, and the White House, among other postings. A resident of Spartanburg, Webster has served on numerous boards for organizations serving the Upstate.