This week, a lengthy article appearing in The Atlantic insinuated that President Trump's campaign was working with Republican legislators and state parties in battleground states to have the legislature step in and appoint pro-Trump electors to the Electoral College after claims of chaos and fraud.
The story quickly made the rounds with the blue-check chattering class on social media and became a hot topic on cable news channels. Yet one of the interviewees in the story, Pennsylvania Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, says the hypothetical scenario presented in the story is false.
“The story is pure conjecture,” said Corman in an interview with the Washington Examiner, clearly frustrated by the hornet's nest the story stirred up.
“The story insinuates the Trump campaign is working with Republican legislators and Republican state parties to have the legislature step in and appoint electors to the Electoral College if things drag on and they're disputed ... The genesis of the story is that, despite Pennsylvania voting one way with the voters, that the legislature could step in and thwart that and appoint their own electors. I never said that."
Corman said when he spoke to author Barton Gellman in early August, they went through many electoral code type of issues, “and then, he ventured into hypotheticals — well, I stay away from hypotheticals for this very reason."
Corman, who has represented the 34th Senatorial District for 20 years that spans the rural central Pennsylvania counties of Centre, Mifflin, and Juniata and part of Huntingdon County, said the moment the story hit, his phone lit up; three days later, the inquiries haven’t stopped.
In an editor’s note, the magazine said it published the story early on its website because of its urgency.
“I said on numerous occasions, our goal is to not be Florida of 2000," he said. "Our goal is to have a electoral process where everyone has the opportunity to vote, that everyone is comfortable with the security of that vote and that we have a result tabulated in a reasonable time frame. And I was focusing on that.”
He continued, "And as he kept pushing the hypothetical, I said, ‘Look, if things get into challenges and problems and all that, we'll follow the law, that's our job [as] legislators, to follow the law.’”
Corman said that in Pennsylvania, everything is determined by the election code, which shows the federal government gives the states the right to run the election and how they appoint electors.
“In Pennsylvania, the election code is very clear on how we appoint electors," he explained. "And ahead of Election Day, the individual parties both submit electors to the Department of State. And then, once the Department of State finalizes, certifies a winner, they then appoint those electors to the Electoral College."
Corman went on to say, “The legislature does not have a role in this. And even if the election is up for challenge, as it could be, who knows, the courts will figure that out, not the legislature."
He asserted, “To the best of my knowledge, looking through election code law, there is not a role for the legislature in this. And so, the premise of the story is false. I think it was done to inflame individuals, which certainly has spurred a lot of phone calls to my office. So, I guess the writer's intention was successful, but it's not accurate.”
Corman said his office has researched this, and he repeated there's no role for the legislature.
“And I have had zero conversation with the Trump campaign and top administration or anyone about trying to figure out how to appoint electors," he said. "The only conversation I have had is with the state Republican Party is how to avoid getting to these sort of problems and figuring out ways to make sure we have a winner in a timely fashion. No matter who the winner is."
Corman said, “I represent Republicans and Democrats and independents alike. My job is to make sure, as our legislator, the process is fair, transparent, and, again, hopefully, tabulated in a timely fashion. And then, my job ends. And then, it's up to the parties and the people to vote."
He said point-blank, “I've had zero conversations about trying to figure out ways to change how Pennsylvania appoints its electors. It's by the popular vote in the state of Pennsylvania, that's clearly dictated in the election code. And once the Department of State certifies it, and then there's no challenges out there, whoever gets the most votes in Pennsylvania, that party will appoint the electors.”
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