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The Lead with Jake Tapper

GOP Sen. Hawley to object to Electoral College results during joint session; U.S. vaccine rollout behind schedule with 1 day left in 2020; Gov. Newsom: mutant Covid-19 strain found in southern California; Newly-elected congressman Luke Letlow dies of Covid at age 41

The Lead with Jake Tapper

CNN

News

3.51.7K Ratings

🗓️ 30 December 2020

⏱️ 40 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

GOP Sen. Hawley to force vote on election results, setting up scenario GOP leaders hoped to avoid; U.S. hits new single-day high for deaths and hospitalizations; Gov. Newsom: mutant Covid-19 strain found in southern California; Sen. Toomey: “makes no sense” to send stimulus checks to “everyone who has a pulse”; FL Gov. DeSantis went against CDC recommendations, prioritized seniors over front line health workers and first responders; Seniors looking for Covid-19 vaccine turned away from FL hospitals; Florida seniors waited overnight for vaccine, some with lawn chairs; Florida’s Broward Health at capacity, no new patients until February; U.S. lags behind some other countries in vaccinations; Biden names Kathleen Hicks as first woman deputy defense secretary

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Transcript

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0:00.0

Welcome to the lead I'm Jake Tapper and we start today with our politics lead and

0:05.9

another last-ditch effort by Republicans to overturn the results of a free and fair election.

0:13.2

Today, Republican Senator Josh Holly of Missouri, who has hopes of running for president,

0:18.4

he announced that he will join colleagues from the House and object, as Congress certifies the Electoral College

0:25.1

results next Wednesday. Now to be clear this is all performative. This

0:30.2

measure has no chance of stopping Joe Biden from becoming president on January 20th.

0:36.0

This is instead about fueling the election grievances,

0:40.0

based in large part on lies that President Trump is supporters and MAGA media

0:44.8

have been spreading to Republican voters across the country.

0:48.3

It will no doubt further inflame the anger that those lies have fueled and it does set up a nightmare

0:54.8

scenario for Republicans in the Senate one that party leaders have been trying to

0:58.5

avoid for weeks it will force every Senate Republican to go on the record and say whether or not he or

1:04.8

she agrees with President Trump's baseless claims that the election was stolen or

1:11.0

citing with the truth that Joe Biden is in fact president-elect.

1:16.0

If they in fact stand up for the truth and the facts, well, in 2020, that might open the door for a primary challenge in the future.

1:26.0

As CNN's Boris Sanchez reports, this doesn't help the country and in fact benefits no one

1:32.0

except those who seek political gain by exacerbating these deep divisions

1:36.7

created by the president's election lies.

1:40.6

As President Trump spends yet another day on the golf course, Missouri Republican Josh

1:45.8

Holly becoming the first senator to say he will challenge the Electoral College results

1:50.8

in Congress next week. These are normal folks living normal lives who firmly believe that they have been disenfranchised.

1:59.0

Holly arguing that some states failed to follow their own laws and quote at the very least

...

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