Why it matters: Texts by MP Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) in the aftermath of the 2020 election highlight the difficult path taken by some Trump supporters to the January 6 election. .

The representatives of both deputies confirmed the authenticity of the texts in Axios. “The messages speak for themselves,” said Roy’s spokeswoman Nate Madden. Lee Lonsberry, Lee’s spokesman, said: “The text messages tell the same story as Senator Lee from the Senate podium the day he voted to certify the nation’s election results.” According to reports, the texts are among those delivered by Meadows to the selection committee on January 6. A panel representative declined to comment.

Lee sent a message to Meadows on November 7, 2020, the day the big media called Biden elections, urging the Trump team to use “every legal and constitutional solution” to challenge the election and work with Trump’s lawyer. , Sidney Powell.

Lee later voiced concerns about “potential defamation” over Powell’s bizarre allegations in a Nov. 19 press conference and later that month turned to another pro-Trump lawyer: John Eastman. He continued to push the Meadows for discussion and guidance in the coming months, and by December 8 he said “there could be a path.” On Jan. 3, however, he expressed “grave concern” over the plans of Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) To oppose the certification of the election, warning that “all could yield poor results. ».

Roy sent a message to the Meadows on November 5, “We do not have the tools / data / information to go out and fight RE: elections / fraud. If you need it / want it, we all need to know what’s going on,” adding two days later “We need ammunition. We need examples of fraud.”

Like Lee, Roy voiced support for Trump and sought more evidence in the coming weeks, sending a message on November 19 that “we need substance or people will break.” On December 31, however, Roy sent a message that Trump “must withdraw everyone,” and the next day said, “If POTUS allows this to happen … we are betting on the heart of federal democracy.” On Jan. 6, Roy, like many of Trump’s other allies, sent a message to Meadows as the Capitol Uprising unfolded, calling it a “sh * tshow” and telling him, “Fix it now.”

The bottom line: Both lawmakers voted against objections to Arizona and Colorado voter certification.