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“That result of that decision is bringing a hailstorm of criticism,” mentioned a state senator, Kevin L. Matthews, founder and chairman of the 1921 fee. In an interview, he mentioned he personally didn’t imagine Mr. Lankford ought to resign from the fee, however that some members believed it was inconsistent together with his drive to invalidate the election outcomes. “There are a lot of people that feel like you can’t stand for both.”
Mr. Lankford and different Republicans had claimed that by difficult the election outcomes, they have been exercising their independence and appearing within the pursuits of constituents who have been demanding solutions. In an interview the morning of Jan. 6, he sought to differentiate his argument from Mr. Trump’s false claims that the election could possibly be overturned, saying he had been clear that there was no constitutional technique to subvert the need of a majority of American voters.
“Everybody’s got their own motives in this, to be able to solve this,” he mentioned. “For me, long term, we’ve got to be able to find a constitutional way to be able to resolve some of these issues.”
Less than 4 hours later, Mr. Lankford can be interrupted in his opening argument by the Senate’s sudden adjournment, as an aide whispered to him that the mob was contained in the Capitol constructing.
In a safe location on Capitol Hill, Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, recalled pleading with Mr. Lankford and Senator Steve Daines, Republican of Montana, to reverse course and help the counting of votes. The pair later launched a joint assertion calling on “the entire Congress to come together and vote to certify the election results,” and saying the lawlessness and chaos had precipitated them to alter their minds.
“We disagree on a lot of things, and we have a lot of spirited debate in this room,” Mr. Lankford mentioned that night. “But we talk it out, and we honor each other — even in our disagreement.”
Reporting was contributed by Astead W. Herndon and Jim Rutenberg from New York, Reid J. Epstein and Luke Broadwater from Washington, and Mike Ives from Hong Kong.
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