Pennsylvania GOP state senators’ refusal to seat Democrat leads to chaotic ceremony
When Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman objected to the motion Tuesday — insisting that Brewster be sworn in — the state GOP took the rare step of seizing control of the proceedings from him.
The intense sequence kicked off when GOP state Sen. Ryan Aument introduced the motion to not seat Brewster until “such time as the Senate had the opportunity for further consideration of the contest petition.”
When Fetterman refused to recognize the motion, Aument charged, “It is your duty to put a motion properly before this body. If you continue to refuse to perform your duties, the Senate will proceed to replace you with the interim president pro tempore.”
At the same time, Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, a Republican, approached Fetterman at the front of the chamber before addressing the body as the new presiding official.
As Corman began to speak, though, Democratic state Sen. Anthony Williams offered a fiery retort, announcing loudly: “Mr. President, I totally object to this.”
“This is inappropriate. You are breaking the Constitution and the laws of the commonwealth and violating the oath of office you have actually taken. There is nothing about this day that is appropriate; nothing. We will not lay down and roll over because you got former folks on that side of the aisle. This is about Pennsylvania, not Democrats or Republicans,” Williams said.
“This is not about simply winning, it’s about protecting our democracy. That’s what this is.”
Williams can then be heard yelling, “We will not participate in this farce,” as the Republican majority began a roll call to officially remove Fetterman from presiding.
Even as the motion passed, Fetterman continued to stand at the rostrum looking down on Corman before ultimately leaving the chamber when new members — with the exception of Brewster — were sworn in.
“It is simply unethical and undemocratic to leave the district without a voice simply because the Republicans don’t like the outcome of the election. Voters, not Harrisburg politicians, decided this election, and Sen. Brewster is the rightful winner,” Wolf said.
“All ballots were counted and certified, and the results are accurate. Sen. Brewster received the most votes in this race and should be sworn in as the Senator for the 45th District. There is no precedent, and no legal rationale, for failing to do so,” he added.
The state Republicans’ case for not sitting Brewster rests on a lawsuit filed by his opponent, Nicole Ziccarelli. She is seeking to overturn her election loss through the removal of some Allegheny County mail-in ballots that didn’t include handwritten dates on their outer declaration envelopes.
Matthew Haverstick, an attorney for Ziccarelli, celebrated the state GOP’s efforts Tuesday, telling CNN in a statement he’s confident in their lawsuit.
CNN has reached out to Brewster for comment.
It’s unclear how long the state GOP plans to keep the seat empty.
Corman said in a news release before the swearing-in ceremony, “We understand that this issue needs to be resolved promptly, while ensuring that the constituents of the 45th Senate District have properly elected representation.”
This story has been updated with additional information Tuesday.
