Trump encourages congressman who plans to challenge Electoral College vote

President thanks lawmaker after he vows to challenge the tally of the Electoral College during a joint session of Congress

President Donald Trump has offered a message of support to Mo Brooks, one of his House Republican allies who committed this week to contesting the results of the upcoming vote in the Electoral College.

It was reported on Wednesday the Alabama conservative would challenge the tally conducted by the Electoral College when Congress certifies the presidential election next month.

Unlikely to succeed in overturning the results of the election for the president, Mr Brooks would require a member of the Senate to join him. To date, none have come forward.

But Mr Trump still tweeted out his praise, writing in a post to his 88.7 million followers on Thursday: “Thank you to Representative Mo Brooks!”

The president’s comments came after the Republican lawmaker falsely suggested mail-in voting was “unconstitutional” in an interview with Politico published earlier this week.

Mr Brooks told the news outlet: “In my judgment, if only lawful votes by eligible American citizens were cast, Donald Trump won the Electoral College by a significant margin, and Congress’s certification should reflect that.”

He added: “This election was stolen by the socialists engaging in extraordinary voter fraud and election theft measures.”

Much like the president, Mr Brooks’ false claims of mass voter fraud have been discredited by the Justice Department, as well as the Department of Homeland Security, which described the 2020 election as the “most secure” in US history.

Mr Trump’s false claims of voter fraud began before votes could even be counted when he claimed he could only suffer defeat if the election were rigged against him.

Still, Mr Brooks said he was committed to moving forward with his plans of contesting the vote when Congress returns for a joint session, telling The Hill: “I’m doing this because in my judgment this is the worst election theft in the history of the United States.”

Attorney General William Barr told the Associated Press earlier this week the Justice Department had “not seen fraud on a scale that could have affected a different outcome” in the 2020 election.