Senate GOP still pushing fraud claims

WASHINGTON Senate Republicans may be acknowledging Presidentelect Joe Biden’s victory over President Donald Trump, but the politically charged fight over Mr. Trump’s fallacious claims about voter fraud rages on — and threatens to overshadow legitimate efforts to safeguard future elections.

A Wednesday hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee became a forum for Republicans, led by its departing chairman Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., to re-air Mr. Trump’s baseless — case against the election results in swing states as the president cheered them on from a distance. Complaining that courts threw out Mr. Trump’s election lawsuits on mere “technicalities,” GOP senators and aligned witnesses warned that until their concerns were addressed, public trust in the security of the election process would not be restored.

There is no evidence of significant or widespread voter fraud, as the president and his allies continue to insist. Mr. Trump’s own attorney general has made that clear while the courts overwhelmingly have dismissed his campaign’s unprecedented effort to overturn Mr. Biden’s victory. Across more than 50 cases, at least 88 judges — including 39 appointed or nominated by Republicans — have turned down Mr. Trump’s legal challenges in procedural rulings or decisions on their merits.

Yet in the face of such resounding loss, the president and his most influential supporters remain undeterred, claiming fraud is a legitimate problem.

“We’re not going to be able to just move on without bringing up these irregularities, examining them, and providing an explanation,” Mr. Johnson said Wednesday, later adding: “This hearing is not dangerous. What would be dangerous is not discussing this openly, transparently and frankly.”

The senator was “doing an excellent job,” Mr. Trump wrote approvingly in a tweet complaining about the “Fraudulent 2020 Election.” The post was subsequently flagged by Twitter, which labeled it disputed content.