Republicans reject Trump ‘fraud’ claim
A KEY Republican senator said he saw no evidence to support US president Donald Trump’s baseless claim that Democrats are trying to “steal” the election and called the president’s words “very disturbing”.
Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, whose state is a key battleground in the presidential election, said “there’s simply no evidence anyone has shown me of any widespread corruption or fraud” to support Mr Trump’s claim on Thursday of fraud in balloting.
“The president’s speech last night was very disturbing to me because he made very, very serious allegations without any evidence to support it,” Mr Toomey told CBS This Morning yesterday.
He added: “I voted for President Trump. I endorsed President Trump. I want the next president to be the person who legitimately wins the Electoral College and I will accept whoever that is.”
Mr Trump, who has complained for weeks about mail-in ballots, escalated his allegations late on Thursday, saying at the White House that the ballot-counting process is unfair and corrupt.
Mr Trump did not back up his claims with any details or evidence, and officials have not reported any instances of widespread voter fraud.
In contrast, Democrat Joe Biden appealed for calm and patience as he appeared to close in on victory, overturning Mr Trump’s advantage in key states.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell struck a neutral tone: “Every legal vote should be counted,” he tweeted. “All sides must get to observe the process.”
Other Republican senators, governors and other officials swiftly pushed back against Mr Trump, a rare break with the president who keeps a firm grip on his party.
Representative Adam Kinzinger, a Republican from Illinois, tweeted that the president’s claims of fraud are “getting insane”. If Mr Trump has “legit” concerns about fraud, they need to be based on evidence and taken to court, Mr Kinzinger said, adding: “Stop spreading debunked misinformation.”
Maryland’s Republican governor Larry Hogan, a potential 2024 presidential hopeful who has often criticised Mr Trump, said unequivocally: “There is no defence for the President’s comments tonight undermining our Democratic process. America is counting the votes, and we must respect the results as we always have before.”
Mr Hogan said on Twitter: “No election or person is more important than our Democracy.”
Other criticism, though less direct, came from members of Congress. Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican who spoke at a Trump rally, said in a tweet that if any candidate believes “a state is violating election laws they have a right to challenge it in court & produce evidence in support of their claims”.