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News: 75 Pa. House and Senate Republicans have signed a letter to Pennsylvania's congressional delegation calling for them to dispute the 2020 election results in Congress. Among the signatories is House Speaker Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster. http://www.pahousegopnews.com/AttachedFiles/12.04.20%20Congress%20Election%202020.pdf
GOP leadership, such as Cutler, affirmed yesterday they had no power to do anything via the state legislative process, such as appointing new electors. But that argument was always based more in process then substance. https://twitter.com/StephenJ_Caruso/status/1334640377257750528?s=20
The signatories include a number of suburban Philadelphia representatives as well as some of the usual names signing onto the earlier resolutions or special session calls. I see most of the Bucks County GOP delegation here, minus Frank Farry.
UPDATE: Rep. Chris Quinn tells me that he and at least four other reps — Reps. Todd Polinchock, Megan Schroeder, Wendi Thomas and KC Tomlinson — did NOT mean to sign the letter. “I don’t know how mistakes like this happen." All are suburban Philly reps. https://twitter.com/StephenJ_Caruso/status/1334956882147090435?s=20
I was surreptitiously finishing another story on the GOP letter rejecting taking action in the state legislature when this letter dropped, so you can get a complete 30,000 foot view here. https://twitter.com/PennCapitalStar/status/1334968396782383110?s=20
GOP House spox confirms an incorrect version was sent out. Will include updated count ASAP. https://twitter.com/StephenJ_Caruso/status/1334970789578350594?s=20
Other observation: 14 Republicans say they are circulating a petition to call for a December special session on the 2020 election, in defiance of leadership's position that there can legally be no December session.
Why is this noteworthy? You might recall that 32 Republicans signed a letter asking for Gov. Tom Wolf to call for a special session two days ago. https://twitter.com/StephenJ_Caruso/status/1334252571595313153?s=19
So 18 lawmakers felt comfortable asking Wolf to call a special session, but haven't signed there to do it themselves. Or maybe they are just unaware of this new petition. Who knows.
Republicans sent out two additional letters. One calls for Pa. Attorney General Josh Shapiro to appoint a special prosecutor to review "election irregularities." http://www.pahousegopnews.com/AttachedFiles/12.04.20%20Attorney%20General%20Independent%20Prosecutor.pdf
The other calls for the state Inspector General to review the Department of State's "internal policies and procedures," including IT issues and coordination with counties. http://www.pahousegopnews.com/AttachedFiles/12.04.20%20Inspector%20General%20Investigation.pdf
FWIW, mistakes on signatures seem to run both ways. Rep. Russ Diamond, R-Lebanon and one of the most vocal 2020 disputers, wasn't listed as a signatory. He says in a text that was an "administrative oversight." https://twitter.com/StephenJ_Caruso/status/1334971936653324291?s=20
Another suburban GOP Rep. Tom Mehaffie, of Dauphin, tells me he did NOT give the okay to add his signature to the Congressional letter. That's six now disputing their signature, with a seventh saying they should be on it. https://twitter.com/StephenJ_Caruso/status/1334970789578350594?s=19
Mehaffie said he signed the letter to Shapiro and the inspector general but declined to sign the congressional letter because he disagreed with it. His name ended up on it anyway.
Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Philadelphia, has entered the chat.
Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa had this to say. https://twitter.com/Senatorcosta/status/1334986749781700609?s=19
Will add this clarification for benefit of the thread. https://twitter.com/StephenJ_Caruso/status/1334996263440441344?s=19
It has been about 3 hours since a House GOP spokesperson confirmed that the letter with incorrect signatures was posted and AFAIK it has not been corrected. https://twitter.com/StephenJ_Caruso/status/1334971936653324291?s=19
Gov. Tom Wolf calls the letter a "shameful attack on our democracy." https://twitter.com/GovernorTomWolf/status/1335015136172646402?s=19
If you've gotten to the bottom of this thread and are thinking, "hmmm, please tell me more about the internal warngling of the Pa. House as it debates its election response," I have a story for you! https://www.penncapital-star.com/election-2020/pa-conservative-hopes-for-subpoena-fueled-election-investigation-quashed-by-political-reality/
Oh, there's also the time leadership abruptly sent lawmakers home to pass a budget by remote voting because there were suspected positive COVID-19 cases in the Capitol that very day. That was two weeks ago. https://www.penncapital-star.com/covid-19/amid-covid-in-capitol-pa-general-assembly-finishes-budget-with-no-new-taxes-no-furloughs-and-no-new-aid/
BTW, about that independent prosecutor the GOP wanted Attorney General Josh Shapiro wanted to appoint. He says he can't do it. https://twitter.com/PAAttorneyGen/status/1335009050921209857?s=20
Dennis Roddy, a political consultant who works for Rep. Natalie Mihalek, R-Allegheny, says that Mihalek also did not sign the letter. That's up to seven names included who say they did not sign on.
UPDATE: 64 Pennsylvania Republican legislators, 11 less then on the original draft, signed a letter asking Congress to challenge the 2020 election results. Here's the updated letter. http://www.pahousegopnews.com/AttachedFiles/12.04.20%20Congress%20Election%202020%20(002).pdf
Rep. Seth Grove, R-York, says the issue was "due to a clerical error in correctly applying signatures to three letters dealing with election oversight and transparency...I apologize for any confusion this has caused."
GOP lawmakers mistakenly included who I haven't already noted in this thread are:
Rep. Jim Struzzi, Indiana
Rep. Aaron Kaufer, Luzerne
Rep. Andrew Lewis, Dauphin
Rep. Jack Rader, Monroe
Rep. Jim Struzzi, Indiana
Rep. Aaron Kaufer, Luzerne
Rep. Andrew Lewis, Dauphin
Rep. Jack Rader, Monroe
Anywho, after all of that here's a reminder that the letter probably won't matter, via @katieemeyer4
https://twitter.com/katieemeyer4/status/1335025015394340868?s=19
https://twitter.com/katieemeyer4/status/1335025015394340868?s=19
. @jeremyrroebuck had a piece I didn't see until now: Trump allies attacked Pa. Republican leadership on Twitter for saying that the General Assembly could not act before they released their letter to Congress. https://twitter.com/jeremyrroebuck/status/1335028021368152070?s=19
Also, at least one the letter's signers of the letter has some thoughts: https://twitter.com/AaronBernstine/status/1335034564973105155?s=19
One last note: If you like what you read here, follow @PennCapitalStar for all my and the outlet's updates on all things Pennsylvania politics!
