Republican lawmakers and officials came down heavily on incumbent President Donald Trump over his series of false claims Thursday night, 5 November, on the presidential election and ballot counting, though they refrained from mentioning him directly.
Senator Pat Toomey, in a statement that said that once key state election count is "reached and certified, all parties involved must accept the outcome of the election regardless of whether they won or lost”, said, "All votes that comply with Pennsylvania law must be counted, regardless of how long the process takes."
His statement was in sharp contrast to Trump's baseless claims of voter fraud in Pennsylvania.
‘STOP THE COUNT’: TRUMP AT PRESS CONFERENCE
Taking the podium at the White House, Trump said “If you count the legal votes, I easily win,” on Thursday evening. "If you count the illegal votes, they can try to steal the election from us."
"I’ve already decisively won many critical states, including massive victories," he claimed, also mentioning that "very bad" things are happening around the electoral process.
In his address, Trump continued to press the need to 'stop the count' of the "votes that came in late".
"There has been a lot of shenanigans, and we can't stand for that in our country", he added.
"We want every vote counted, yes every legal vote (of course). But, if you have legit concerns about fraud present EVIDENCE and take it to court. STOP Spreading debunked misinformation," Republican Rep Adam Kinzinger wrote shortly after Trump's speech. "This is getting insane."
A scathing criticism came from Rep Will Hurd of Texas.
HAVE FAITH IN THE AMERICAN DEMOCRACY, SAY REPUBLICAN LEADERS
Maryland Governor, Larry Hogan too, took to Twitter to express his dissent, along with Utah Senator, Mitt Romney and Rep Paul Mitchell – all members of the Republican party. They all cited the integrity of the American democracy.
‘SHOW US THE EVIDENCE!’
"Show us the evidence,” major Trump ally and former New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie said on ABC News. “We heard nothing today about evidence," referring to Trump's baseless claims of victory.
“If you’re gonna say those things from behind the podium at the White House, it’s his right to do it, it’s his right to pursue legal action,” he said. “I want to know what backs up what he said so that I can analyze it. And let me tell you, if he’s right, I’ll be outraged and I’m sure you would be too.”
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