Sen. Ben Sasse
Ben SasseMcCaul urges senators to block vote on Commerce secretary over Huawei concerns The Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by Facebook - White House targets climate change in today's executive orders The Hill's Morning Report - Biden seeks vaccine for all by summer; Trump censure? MORE (R-Neb.) offered blistering criticism of a press conference held on Thursday by Rudy Giuliani
Rudy GiulianiMy Pillow CEO banned by Twitter The Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by Facebook - GOP senator retires Dominion Voting Systems files .3B defamation suit against Giuliani MORE and other lawyers representing the Trump campaign, warning that they "erode public trust."
"Wild press conferences erode public trust. So no, obviously Rudy and his buddies should not pressure electors to ignore their certification obligations under the statute We are a nation of laws, not tweets," Sasse said in a statement.
His remarks were in response to a press conference where Giuliani and other lawyers overseeing the president's legal challenges levied various claims of fraud and made clear that their goal was to overturn the results in several states President-elect Joe Biden
Joe BidenKelli Ward rejects request for Arizona GOP race audit Sunday shows preview: New COVID-19 variants spread in US; Redditors shake Wall Street with Gamestop stock Impeaching a former official rests on a shaky precedent MORE is leading or has been projected as the winner.
The efforts are aimed at swaying the vote certification process and pressuring state lawmakers to send pro-Trump electors to the Electoral College.
Sasse, in his statement, urged Nebraskans to pay attention to the legal arguments being made in court instead of press conferences or Trump's tweets, noting that they are substantively different.
"Based on what I've read in their filings, when Trump campaign lawyers have stood before courts under oath, they have repeatedly refused to actually allege grand fraud—because there are legal consequences for lying to judges," Sasse said.
"President Trump
Donald TrumpKelli Ward rejects request for Arizona GOP race audit Gun sales on the rise amid pandemic uncertainty, Biden's vow for gun reform Top Trump impeachment lawyer Bowers leaves team: reports MORE lost Michigan by more than 100,000 votes and the campaign and its allies have lost in or withdrawn all five lawsuits in Michigan for being unable to produce any evidence," he added.
Sasse, who won reelection and is viewed as a potential 2024 contender, is one of only a handful of Senate Republicans who have congratulated Biden on his victory.
His criticism of Giuliani comes as Sen. Joni Ernst
Joni Kay ErnstSenate GOP boxes itself in on impeachment Senate GOP signals it's likely to acquit Trump for second time Just five GOP senators vote Trump impeachment trial is constitutional MORE (R-Iowa) criticized comments from the same press conference from Sidney Powell, one of the lawyers representing the Trump campaign.
Powell, without providing evidence, stated that "we have no idea how many Republican or Democratic candidates … paid to have the system rigged to work for them.”
Ernst, a member of GOP leadership, called the remarks "offensive" and "absolutely outrageous."
