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President Donald Trump’s bogus election fraud allegations garnered little support from Republican officials Thursday, with several of them berating the president or offering statements that barely supported his views.
“Counting every vote is the heart of democracy,” wrote Utah Sen. Mitt Romney on Twitter, implicitly rejecting Trump’s unprecedented request to suspend the counting of votes in the states he leads. “Have faith in democracy, in our Constitution and in the American people,” he said.
“All votes that comply with Pennsylvania law must be counted, regardless of the length of the process,” Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania said in a statement.
While expressing concern that the Philadelphia vote count “lacks transparency,” Toomey concluded that “all parties involved must accept the outcome of the election, regardless of whether they won or lost.”
“There is no defense to the president’s comments tonight that undermine our democratic process,” tweeted Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a frequent critic of Trump. “No choice or person is more important than our democracy.”
Shortly after Trump’s comments at the White House, Vice President Mike Pence issued a statement of support, but one that did not echo the president’s speech on conspiracy and fraud. “I am with President Donald Trump. We must count all LEGAL votes, ”Pence tweeted, not backing the president’s allegations of fraud and conspiracy.
Several Republicans have indirectly suggested that Trump has shown no real evidence of fraud.
“If a candidate believes that a state is violating electoral laws, he has the right to challenge in court and present evidence in support of his claims,” tweeted Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. He also posted a message on Wednesday saying, “Taking days to count votes cast legally is NOT fraud. And judicial challenges to the votes cast after the legal voting deadline are NOT suppressed ”.
Without naming Trump, Congressman Adam Kinzinger of Illinois tweeted that “if you have legitimate concerns about fraud, please present EVIDENCE and take it to court. STOP spreading unmasked misinformation. “
“This is freaking out,” he added.
