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May 21, 2025

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3 Top Story

Harris in Shouting Match on House Floor; Backs Objections to Arizona, Pennsylvania Electoral Votes

January 7, 2021 by John Griep

Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md.-1st, got into a shouting match on the House floor early Thursday morning during a debate over GOP objections to certifying the electoral votes from Pennsylvania in the 2020 presidential election, according to accounts from several reporters.

Pennsylvania was the second and final state whose certified electoral votes faced objections from Republican lawmakers during what is normally a routine process of Congress opening and reading the electoral votes from the states.

The debate over the first objection, to Arizona’s electoral count, came to a sudden halt early Wednesday afternoon after right-wing domestic terrorists broke into the U.S. Capitol building, forcing lawmakers to be ushered to safe locations as police took several hours to regain control of the building.

Photos and videos show the rioters breaking glass in doors and windows to enter the Capitol and overwhelming Capitol Police officers trying to keep them out. One woman was fatally shot by an officer during the melee, three others died as a result of medical emergencies, and numerous police officers were assaulted and injured by the mob that included some holding “Blue Lives Matter” flags purporting to support law enforcement.

The mob was incited by remarks made by President Donald Trump during an earlier rally in Washington, D.C.

Trump has repeatedly lied about the presidential election results, claiming he defeated Joe Biden in a landslide victory even though Biden handily won both the Electoral College vote and the national popular vote.

More than 50 lawsuits from Trump and others challenging the results have been rejected by state and federal courts across the nation, including by the U.S. Supreme Court. Many courts found the Trump lawsuits to be baseless, with no evidence supporting allegations of fraud.

As a result of the Wednesday afternoon attack on the Capitol, several Republican senators who had planned to join GOP congressmen in objecting to the results from six swing states opted to pull their support.

The objection to Arizona’s results was defeated 93-6 in the U.S. Senate and 303-121 in the House of Representatives, with Harris joining 120 Republican colleagues in support of the objection.

As the process continued, GOP objections to the results in Georgia, Michigan, and Nevada failed outright when not a single U.S. senator joined the dozens of congressional Republicans objecting to those states’ results. For an objection to be considered for discussion and a vote, at least one congressman and one senator must sign onto a written objection.

However, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, joined GOP colleagues in the House in an objection to Pennsylvania’s results.

According to a report from Maryland Matters and States Newsroom:

Shortly after delivering his own remarks challenging Pennsylvania’s election results on the House floor in the early morning hours, Harris was among lawmakers who ran toward each other during a heated debate and had to be separated by a Capitol Hill staffer.

“It didn’t materialize out of nowhere,” Pennsylvania Rep. Conor Lamb (D) said of the unrest. “It was inspired by lies. The same lies that you’re hearing in this room tonight.”

Huffington Post reporter Matt Fuller tweeted that Harris was shouting “He called me a liar!” during the confrontation with Colin Allred (D-Texas).

Fuller later tweeted that a congressman said it was mostly Al Lawson, a Florida Democrat, and Harris in the argument, but Allred was among a group of members from both sides who converged in the aisle.

Several people commenting on Fuller’s tweet noted that Allred is a former NFL linebacker.

Below is a video of the comments Harris made during the debate on the Pennsylvania objection:

Nearly an hour later, Rep. Connor Lamb, D-Pennsylvania, spoke against the objection to his state’s electoral vote results. The argument involving Harris occurred during Lamb’s remarks and shouting can be heard on this video excerpt from C-SPAN.

As Lamb spoke, Rep. Morgan Griffith, a Virginia Republican, asked that his comments about Republicans lying be stricken from the record.

However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Griffith’s objection was not timely and Lamb continued his remarks by noting: “The truth hurts.”

CNN reporter Kristin Wilson tweeted that Harris and Allred yelled at each other: to “sit down” “no, you sit down” from across the floor, then confronted each other in the aisle as a dozen members from each side joined them.

The objection to the Pennsylvania results was defeated in the House on a vote of  282-138. Harris was among the 138 Republican congressmen to vote for the objection.

The final objection — to the results in Wisconsin — also failed when no senator joined the objection.

The joint session of Congress ultimately certified Joe Biden’s presidential victory with an Electoral College vote of 306 to 232 for Trump.

Harris and Griffith were the only two Republican congressmen who voted against seating the newly elected House members from Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, Forbes reported.

A Republican Texas congressman opposed to efforts to reject the presidential results had challenged the seating of those House members, arguing that any voter fraud in those states would also affect the congressional results, according to Forbes.

By voting against that challenge, nearly all Republican congressmen essentially acknowledged the legitimacy of the congressional results in those states. Yet, a few days later, many of those GOP lawmakers said the presidential election results in those very same states should be rejected.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: 3 Top Story Tagged With: andy harris, argument, Congress, donald trump, electoral college, house, Joe Biden, shouting

Andy Harris Among GOP Lawmakers Likely to Object to Certification of Presidential Election Results

January 6, 2021 by Spy Desk

A joint session of Congress began meeting at 1 p.m. to certify results of the presidential election but a large number of Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Andy Harris, are expected to object to results in certain swing states that led to an Electoral College victory for Joe Biden over Donald Trump.

Certification is usually a routine process, but objections will make it a much lengthier one.

The first objection — which requires an objection in writing from at least one senator and congressman — to the Electoral College votes came when the results from Arizona were read. As a result of the objection, the Senate and the House of Representatives withdrew from the joint session and met separately to debate and vote on the objection.

A dozen Republican senators and more than 100 Republican congressmen have said they intend to object as the Electoral College votes are read state by state.

Maryland Rep. Andrew P. Harris (R) told WBAL-TV on Monday that he will likely object to several states “where I think the outcome is probably in doubt because inadequate investigation has been allowed to occur.”

“If there is no wrongdoing, there is nothing to hide, let’s go ahead, you know, throw open the windows, open the doors, let’s see all the materials,” Harris told the station. “…I would love to hear from the other side why investigations shouldn’t be done.”

Harris was one of two Republican congressmen who voted against seating the newly elected House members from Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, Forbes reported.

A Republican Texas congressman opposed to efforts to reject the presidential results had challenged the seating of those House members, arguing that any voter fraud in those states would also affect the congressional results. By challenging the results in those House races, he forced his GOP colleagues to acknowledge the legitimacy of the congressional results in those states.

To watch the debate, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKy84YmL-sU.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Maryland News Tagged With: andy harris, certification, election, electoral college, joint session, results

Maryland Electors Cast Votes for Biden, Harris in Socially Distant State House Ceremony

December 15, 2020 by Maryland Matters

Maryland’s 10 electors cast their votes for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Monday, sealing an historic win for the Democratic candidates in the state.

Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) called for a “peaceful transition of power” before the Democratic electors cast their votes at the Maryland State House on Monday. Hogan was one of the first prominent Republicans to publicly acknowledge Biden’s victory as President Trump refused to concede.

“The peaceful transition of power that we formally take part in here today is a hallmark of our democracy,” Hogan said. “At times it has been tested, sometimes even questioned, but it is a reminder that, despite our differences, we are united as Americans who honor the will of the people through the greatest and most enduring democratic process that the world has ever known.”

The Certificate of Vote for Joe Biden as president and Kamala Harris as vice president, signed by the members of Maryland’s Electoral College. Photo from the Maryland State Board of Elections.

Biden and Harris need 270 of the 538 Electoral College votes to win the presidential election. The pair will receive 306 votes, based on the results of the Nov. 3 election, including all 10 of Maryland’s votes.

Biden and Harris received more votes in Maryland than any previous presidential ticket in the state’s history, Maryland Democratic Party Chair Yvette Lewis said. The pair defeated President Trump by a margin of 65.4% to 32.2% in the state.

“Their vote today is the first step of many in healing age-old divisions, addressing the hardships ahead, and building our country back better,” Lewis said.

Gloria G. Lawlah, the former Maryland Secretary of Aging and the president of the state’s Electoral College, called the vote a “repudiation of hate.”

“Today we are turning the page,” Lawlah said. “We are ensuring a better nation for our children, for our grandchildren, and a better nation for generations to come.“

While the Electoral College will seal Biden’s victory on Monday, the results could be challenged by Republican members of Congress. The New York Times reported that some of the president’s loyalists in Congress are planning to attempt a last-minute challenge in the House of Representatives, which is controlled by Democrats.

Congress will meet in a joint session on Jan. 6 to tally and confirm the Electoral College’s votes. Although Trump has continued to rail against the election results, he said last month that he would leave the White House if the votes go to Biden.

Both the House and Senate would have to agree to toss out the election results, although constitutional scholars and even congressional Republicans told the Times that such a challenge will almost certainly fail.

By Bennett Leckrone

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Maryland News Tagged With: Biden, election, electoral college, electors, harris, Maryland, Trump

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