President Donald Trump boards Air Force One in Palm Beach, Florida to return to the White House on December 31. Photo / AP
President Donald Trump boards Air Force One in Palm Beach, Florida to return to the White House on December 31. Photo / AP
Republicans faced a deepening split last night over whether to back President Donald Trump's last-ditch attempt to overturn the US presidential election result.
It emerged more than 140 Republicans in the House of Representatives may be ready to back a move not to certify the outcome at a joint session of Congress on January 6 (January 7 NZ time).
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Senior Republicans tried to rein in colleagues, arguing that their bid to publicly show loyalty to Trump was "playing with fire" and would only further undermine public faith in the electoral system.
The president cut short a trip to Florida and headed back to Washington on New Year's Eve.
Meanwhile, it emerged that staffing changes were to be made to the Secret Service's presidential detail when Joe Biden takes office on January 20.
Staffing changes are to be made to the Secret Service's presidential detail when Joe Biden takes office on January 20. Photo / AP
Biden's camp was said to have expressed concerns that current agents might be politically supportive of Trump.
Instead, senior agents who guarded Biden when he was vice president will be brought back.
Amid the row, a spokeswoman for the Secret Service said the agency was "wholly apolitical".
'Dangerous ploy'
The move to oppose the election results was ignited by Josh Hawley, a Republican senator from Missouri.
He will object, forcing a two-hour debate, followed by a vote in the Senate, and in the House of Representatives.
In an open letter, Ben Sasse, the Republican senator from Nebraska, called it a "dangerous ploy".
He said: "The president and his allies are playing with fire. Let's be clear what is happening here. We have a bunch of ambitious politicians who think there's a quick way to tap into the president's populist base without doing any real, long-term damage.
"But they're wrong, and this issue is bigger than anyone's personal ambitions. Adults don't point a loaded gun at the heart of legitimate self-government."
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called his own vote on January 6 the "most consequential I have ever cast". Photo / AP
In a conference call with Republican senators, McConnell said it was a conscience vote.
He asked Hawley to explain himself, but it then emerged Hawley was not even on the call.
Hawley later said Republican voters were frustrated with Congress for taking no action.
He said: "If you've been speaking to folks at home, I'm sure you know how deeply angry and disillusioned many, many people are."
But Adam Kinziger, a Republican congressman from Illinois who has been critical of Trump, said: "I'm just over the undermining of democracy and the frankly massive damage that's being done with this."
One group of Republican politicians has sued Mike Pence, the vice president, asking a court to give him the power not to accept the election results.
Donald Trump's return to the White House was earlier than expected. Photo / AP
Pence has a ceremonial role in the joint session on January 6.
However, the US justice department said the case should be thrown out.
The session in Congress takes place a day after two run-off races in Georgia which will determine whether Republicans or Democrats control the Senate.
David Perdue, one of two Republican candidates, announced he would spend the final days of the campaign in quarantine after possible exposure to the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, Trump issued a New Year video message hailing "historic victories" on the economy and fighting the pandemic. He said: "We have to be remembered for what's been done."
