‘This is not about President Trump:’ Burchett votes in support of opposition raised against election results

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Representative Tim Burchett (R-Knoxville), voted in favor of opposition raised against the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Burchett said his decision was not about President Trump, but about preserving election integrity and ensuring that every American can have confidence in the result of the election.

“This is not about President Trump, it is about the United States Constitution and upholding election integrity,” Burchett said. “Article II of the Constitution gives state legislatures the sole authority to determine how electors are chosen from their respective states, not attorneys general, not governors, not the courts, and certainly not county-level election officials. Rather than resorting to violence, this needs to be a democratic moment, where Congress works with state legislatures to strengthen our electoral process. Every American, whether their candidate wins or loses, needs to have confidence in the results.”

Burchett condemned the violent attack that took place on the capitol Wednesday night and spoke with Ted Hall about the scary moments when he was forced to shelter in place.

“They’re not protesters. They’re thugs. They’re a bunch of idiots. They are criminals,” said Burchett.

Representative Chuck Fleischmann also released a statement Thursday morning explaining why he chose to vote in support of the opposition.

“The violence that occurred at the Capitol Wednesday is an affront to our Republic. Nearly four years ago, my colleagues and I were shot at, and nearly assassinated, on a baseball field in Virginia. It is horrifying that our divisions have only continued to grow since that day in June. As I said I would, I voted in support of an objection raised during the Electoral College certification in order to voice concerns about irregularities that occurred in the 2020 election. Millions of Americans, including many of my constituents, have expressed these concerns over these last two months. It has been reported that over 1 in 4 Americans do not believe this election was legitimate. This is a concerning statistic for our future, and we must do all we can moving forward to restore faith in the foundation of our republic, free and fair elections. It is time to come together as a nation and seek to heal our divisions. We are, and have always been, one Nation under God, indivisible.”

Many lawmakers decided to forego raising opposition to the election results due to the chaos and violence.

Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) voted against the opposition.

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