Wild claims of fraud subvert US democracy

In an early Monday morning tweet, Donald Trump announced, in all caps, that he had won the election despite the obvious election results showing him losing to Joe Biden by 74 electoral votes. Meanwhile, the president’s team has backed away from key parts of its Pennsylvania litigation — after suffering a long string of legal defeats. So far, Trump is batting 1-20 in the courtroom.

Nevertheless, a top administration official last week said that the White House was operating on the assumption of a second Trump term — suggesting a level of delusion that is not just embarrassing but dangerous. Intelligence officials have warned that Trump’s refusal to include Biden in intelligence briefings leaves the nation vulnerable, given the importance of having a new president who immediately is up to speed.

We’re far more worried about the long-term effect on our democratic institutions, given that they ultimately rely on the faith of the public. It’s one thing to demand a recount of select precincts, or to file a lawsuit based on evidence of fraud. But that’s not what the campaign is doing.

Quite simply, the president is trying to overturn the results of a legitimate election by tossing around baseless fraud allegations, trying to disqualify legally cast mail-in votes and throwing as many legal complaints as possible against the wall. He’s making wild accusations of an election-rigging scenario — including a conspiracy theory suggesting that a software company may have stolen the election.

Some of his supporters have spoken openly about trying to force the election into the Supreme Court, where they expect GOP-appointed judges to invalidate its results. His mostardent supporters have even tossed around plans to have Republican legislatures replace the electors committed to Biden with those who would be loyal to Trump. That’s a strategy more appropriate in a banana republic.

One can find examples of voter fraud in any election involving 158 million ballots, but there’s no evidence of systemic problems or election rigging. The president’s whistleblower allegations are almost as absurd as the prank calls the president’s opponents made by the thousands to his now-shuttered voter-fraud hotline.

The president telegraphed this strategy before voting had even started — and GOP legislatures insisted on counting mail-in votes last to create the impression that something fishy is going on. That’s beyond cynical — and a combustible approach given that a large minority of Americans are devoted supporters of Trump and are taking his claims — and his increasingly unhinged tweets — seriously.

We’re dismayed that more prominent Republicans haven’t said “enough, already” to this nonsense. Of course, Republicans aren’t the only ones to blame for the divisive situation in America today. Democratic claims that Russians “hacked” the 2016 election helped foster this atmosphere.

But the president’s refusal to concede has taken us into uncharted waters. When one side refuses to accept an election’s result, it can easily lead to violence.

Pundits have speculated on Trump’s end goal. Some believe he is trying to cast doubt on the election’s veracity as a way to burnish his brand as exits office or undermine a Biden presidency.

Others think he is just behaving in his usual impetuous manner.

Whatever the rationale, it’s now two weeks after the election and time for the president to put the nation above his fragile ego.

it’s one thing to demand a recount of select precincts, or to file a lawsuit based on evidence of fraud. But that’s not what the campaign is doing.