Fox’s Bret Baier presses Hawley on election challenge: ‘Are you trying to say as of January 20 Trump will be president?’

Fox News anchor Bret Baier pressed Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) late Monday to explicitly say whether he believes President Trump will remain in the White House despite his defeat in the November election. 

“I want to pin you down on what you’re trying to do,” Baier told Hawley during the Republican’s appearance on the network. “Are you trying to say as of Jan. 20 Trump will be president?” 

Hawley responded: “That depends on what happens on Wednesday, that’s why we have the debate.” 

“No it doesn’t,” Baier interjected. “The states, by the Constitution, say they certify the election, they did certify it. By the Constitution, Congress does not have the right to overturn the certification, at least as most experts read it.” 

BRET BAIER: I want to pin you down on what you’re trying to do. Are you trying to say that Trump will be president after January 20?

JOSH HAWLEY: Well, that depends on what happens on Wednesday

BAIER: No it doesn’t

(Trump in fact lost an election!) pic.twitter.com/vsO2JyRJuk

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 5, 2021

Every state has certified its election results after recounts and audits in some states at the Trump’s campaign’s request. The Electoral College affirmed President-elect Joe Biden’s win last month.

Last week, Hawley became the first Republican senator to say he plans to object when Congress meets to certify the Electoral College vote on Wednesday, citing what he claims are irregularities in the voting process. 

“Millions of voters concerned about election integrity deserve to be heard,” Hawley said in making the announcement. “I will object on January 6 on their behalf.” 

A caucus of 11 more GOP senators, led by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), followed in saying they too would contest the result, assuring debate and vote in the House and Senate. More than 100 Republicans in the House have also indicated they will not certify Biden’s win. 

Hawley told Baier on Monday that Congress is “directed under the 12th Amendment to count the electoral votes” and cited a statue from the late 1800s that he said provides him “a right to object, a right to be heard and there’s also a certification process.” 

“My point is, this is my only opportunity during this process to raise an objection and to be heard,” Hawley said. “I don’t have standing to file lawsuits.” 

The Senator’s promised objection comes after a number of courts in key battleground states rejected the Trump campaign’s legal challenges to results over the last two months.  

Fox News has come under scrutiny among Trump’s base of supporters for fact-checking the president’s claims of voter fraud in the election since Biden was projected as the winner.