Vice President Kamala Harris today will have the task of announcing the certification of the winner of the presidential election, Donald Trump.
Coming on the fourth anniversary of the Trump-fueled riot and storming of the U.S. Capitol, Harris in a new video presented an implicit contrast to the way that she is handling her constitutional duty.
“The peaceful transfer of power is one of the most fundamental principles of American democracy,” Harris said. “As much as any other principle, it is what distinguishes our system of government from monarchy or tyranny.
“Today at the United States Capitol, I will perform my constitutional duty as vice president of the United States to certify the results of the 2024 election. This duty is a sacred obligation, one I will uphold, guided by love of country, loyalty to our Constitution, and my unwavering faith in the American people.”
The electoral vote result was 312-226. Trump won the popular vote 49.9% to 48.4% for Harris.
Harris’ position is not that unusual. Past vice presidents have presided over the certification of results of a presidential race they lost, including Al Gore in 2001, Hubert Humphrey in 1969 and Richard Nixon in 1961.
Harris did not directly mention the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, but said, “As we have seen, our democracy can be fragile, and it is up to then each one of us to stand up for our most cherished principles, and to make sure, in America, our government always remains of the people, by the people and for the people.”
There is no indication that any Democrat plans to object to the certification of the results for Trump at a joint session of Congress today, as 147 Republicans did four years ago for Joe Biden, including the current speaker, Mike Johnson, even in the aftermath of the attack.
The Capitol itself is on high alert today as the certification is designated as a national special high security event. Unlike four years ago, the grounds are surrounded by security fencing, while any protests are expected to be muted by a winter storm that hit D.C. overnight. The federal government, in fact, is closed for the snow day.
Biden published an op ed in The Washington Post marking January 6.
Biden wrote, “An unrelenting effort has been underway to rewrite — even erase — the history of that day. To tell us we didn’t see what we all saw with our own eyes. To dismiss concerns about it as some kind of partisan obsession. To explain it away as a protest that just got out of hand.
“This is not what happened.
“In time, there will be Americans who didn’t witness the Jan. 6 riot firsthand but will learn about it from footage and testimony of that day, from what is written in history books and from the truth we pass on to our children. We cannot allow the truth to be lost.”
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