Pa. State Senator Moving to Have Legislature Appoint Electors

Pennsylvania Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, attends a hearing of the Pennsylvania State Senate Majority Policy Committee, Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020, in Gettysburg, Pa. (Julio Cortez/AP Photo)

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A member of the Pennsylvania Senate said he has spoken to the leadership in both houses of the state’s General Assembly about exercising its authority to appoint electors to the Electoral College because of ''so much evidence of shenanigans and fraud'' in the presidential election.

''So, we’re going to do a resolution between the House and Senate, hopefully today,'' Republican Sen. Doug Mastriano said Friday on ''War Room,'' former White House strategist Steve Bannon’s video podcast.

''I’ve spent two hours online trying to coordinate this with my colleagues. And there’s a lot of good people working this here. Saying that the resolution, saying we’re going to take our power back. We’re going to seat the electors. Now obviously we’re going to need the support of the leadership of the House and Senate. We’re getting there on that.''

Mastriano, 56, a retired U.S. Army colonel who represents the state’s Senate District 33 in the south central counties of Cumberland, Adams, Franklin, and York, said about half of the Pennsylvania House and Senate leaders support the move. Republicans control both houses: 29-21 in the Senate and 113-90 in the House of Representatives.

Article 2, Section 1, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution says, ''Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress.''

Mastriano said he is expecting ''a struggle.''

''We’re going to hear the palpitations and you know the outcries of our Gov. (Tom) Wolf and Secretary (of State Kathy) Boockvar, whose resignation should have happened months ago and she shouldn’t have ever been confirmed,'' he said.

Mastriano added the actions are necessary due to the revelations at a Wednesday hearing of the Pennsylvania Senate Majority Policy Committee in Gettysburg.

''(There’s) so much evidence of shenanigans and fraud, we can’t stand aside and just watch this unfold around us,'' he said. ''If there’s extensive shenanigans out there, it’s up to the General Assembly to step in. So we have a fight on our hands and we’re going to fight. We’re going take the fight all the way to the Supreme Court if we have to.''

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