Trump calls for ‘major investigation’ into debunked claim of widespread voter fraud
President Trump says he will call for a “major investigation” into the widely debunked claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2016 election.
“I will be asking for a major investigation into VOTER FRAUD, including those registered to vote in two states, those who are illegal and … even, those registered to vote who are dead (and many for a long time),” Trump tweeted early Wednesday. “Depending on results, we will strengthen up voting procedures!”
I will be asking for a major investigation into VOTER FRAUD, including those registered to vote in two states, those who are illegal and….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 25, 2017
even, those registered to vote who are dead (and many for a long time). Depending on results, we will strengthen up voting procedures!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 25, 2017
The president’s call for an investigation came a day after White House press secretary Sean Spicer defended without evidence Trump’s claim that millions of people voted illegally in the November presidential election.
“The president does believe that,” Spicer told reporters at the White House during a press briefing. “He’s stated his concerns about voter fraud and people voting illegally during the campaign, and he continues to maintain that belief based on studies and evidence that people have presented to him.”
Fact-checkers and independent analyses have found no evidence of significant voter fraud. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have finalized their election results “with no reports of the kind of widespread fraud that Trump is alleging,” the Associated Press said.
Reporters then pressed Spicer, asking whether the Trump administration would launch an investigation into the alleged massive electoral fraud.
“Maybe we will,” Spicer said. “I think let’s not prejudge what we may or may not do in the future.”
Trump, who had previously made the debunked claim, reportedly repeated it again Monday during a White House reception, where he said 3 million to 5 million votes were cast by people who illegally immigrated to the United States. The president used this assertion to argue that he would have won the popular vote against Hillary Clinton, who beat him by nearly 3 million votes overall.
Lawmakers on both sides have refuted Trump’s claims, which are striking as they appear to undermine the legitimacy his own victory.
At his weekly press conference Tuesday, House Speaker Paul Ryan was asked if he felt the need to correct the president’s baseless claim about voter fraud.
“I’ve already commented on that,” Ryan said. “I’ve seen no evidence to that effect, and I’ve made that very, very clear.”
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders called Trump’s claim of 3 million to 5 million “delusional.”
“That is a total nonsensical statement. But what I fear about that statement and what is something we should all worry about is when Trump talks about 3 to 5 million people voting illegally he is sending a message to every Republican governor in this country to go forward with voter suppression. The great political and Democratic crisis we face now in this country is not voter fraud. It is voter suppression.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the GOP has an “obligation” to reject Trump’s falsehoods.
“You cannot keep America safe if you don’t actually admit to the facts,” Schumer said.
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican, warned Trump not to undermine confidence in American democracy.
The claim of widespread voter fraud, “shakes confidence in our democracy — he needs to disclose why he believes that,” Graham told CNN on Tuesday. “I would urge the president to knock this off; this is the greatest democracy on earth, we’re the leader of the free world, and people are going to start doubting you as a person if you keep making accusations against our electoral system without justification.”
Graham added: “This is going to erode his ability to govern this country if he does not stop it.”
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