Republican lawmakers are pushing back after President Donald Trump Thursday night delivered a series of false claims about the presidential election, though most did not mention him by name.
Shortly after Trump at a news conference made baseless claims about massive voter fraud in Pennsylvania, Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., said in a statement Thursday that once the state’s final election count is “reached and certified, all parties involved must accept the outcome of the election regardless of whether they won or lost.”
Toomey also called for patience as the votes are counted, despite Trump tweeting earlier in the day that officials should “stop the count!” The president also told reporters of the mail-in vote count, “There has been a lot of shenanigans and we can’t stand for that in our country.”
“All votes that comply with Pennsylvania law must be counted, regardless of how long the process takes,” Toomey said in his statement.
Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, a vocal Trump critic and the Republican presidential nominee in 2012, also called for patience in a statement he tweeted from his personal Twitter account.
“Counting every vote is at the heart of democracy. That process is often long and, for those running, frustrating. The votes will be counted,” Romney wrote, and if there are any “irregularities alleged, they will be investigated and ultimately resolved in court. Have faith in democracy, in our Constitution, and in the American people.”
Neither statement mentioned Trump by name.
For a second day in a row, Sen. Marco Rubio also indirectly criticized the president’s comments. “If a candidate believes a state is violating election laws they have a right to challenge it in court & produce evidence in support of their claims,” Rubio tweeted.
Rep. Paul Mitchell, R-Mass., offered tough talk and some sympathy in a pair of tweets.
“Every legal vote should and will be counted – as they always are. Where there are issues there are ways to address them. If anyone has proof of wrongdoing, it should be presented and resolved. Anything less harms the integrity of our elections and is dangerous for our democracy
“I have experienced both losses and victories in elections. Losses hurt deeply – I know that personally. But our nation demands that its political leaders accept both wins and losses with grace and maturity. Let the voters decide,” he wrote.
The harshest pushback came from Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., who at times has been a sharp Trump critic.
“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,” he wrote. “This is getting insane.”
Gov. Larry Hogan, R-Md., was one of the few to mention who he was talking about. “There is no defense 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. No election or person is more important than our Democracy,” he tweeted.
