Donald Trump’s attack on Democracy is rubbing in at the state level. This week, Pennsylvania’s Republican Senate majority refused to seat a Democratic state senator who won his reelection over a Republican challenger who has refused to concede the race.
The GOP majority removed Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who was to preside over the ceremony, and president pro temp Jake Corman took over instead and prevented Sen. Jim Brewster (D-Allegheny County) from being sworn in, according to the Inquirer’s Abraham Gutman.
According to the report, Republican Nicole Ziccarelli is claiming that Brewster won by cheating and asked the courts to throw out 311 mail-in ballots from Allegheny County that lacked a handwritten date on the outer ballot envelope, as required by law. But the state’s Supreme Court permitted those votes to count.
Despite the state’s Supreme Court giving the green light to the election, Republicans in the state refused to swear in Brewster.
The Republican State Senator in Pennsylvania just set a very dangerous precedent: as long as your opponent refuses to concede, you will not be sworn in. No matter that the *highest court in the state* already said the election is Kosher.
Here they are being sworn in. pic.twitter.com/UVaYTYCWDX
— Abraham Gutman 🔥 (@abgutman) January 5, 2021
Jim Brewster, mensch, asked that all other Democratic senators be sworn in. He didn't want the issue around his election to take away from the celebratory nature of the day for others, according to Williams. They are sworn in, including @NikilSaval of Philadelphia. pic.twitter.com/czrC2M4eli
— Abraham Gutman 🔥 (@abgutman) January 5, 2021
RELATED: Top Trump Senate Ally Breaks With The President: ‘I Will Not Violate My Oath’ To Help Trump Cheat
