Republican Residence speaker Mike Johnson claimed — without proof — that there’ll possible be “cheating” in the 2024 election, over all once more elevating untrue doubts about electoral integrity. In 2020, Johnson voted against the certification of President Joe Biden’s bag.
“I mediate there could be going to be some cheating in this election,” Johnson stated in an interview Sunday on Face the Nation. “I mediate non-citizens are going to vote.”
Johnson’s claims parrot Donald Trump‘s repeated baseless allegations of election fraud that he has been spreading earlier than election day.
“You perceive that it’s against the legislation for non-citizens to vote in federal elections,” moderator Margaret Brennan responded. “That’s established legislation.”
“Of course it’s,” Johnson stated. “However here’s the distress, there’s a bunch of states that are no longer requiring proof of citizenship when illegals are noncitizens register to vote. We know that’s taking place.”
Johnson then spoke about how Virginia Gov. Glenn Younkin is “cleansing up” the issue’s voter rolls. The Justice Department has tried to intervene, arguing in a lawsuit against Virginia election officers filed Friday that the issue is illegally placing names, a violation of federal election legislation. Below the National Voter Registration Act, states must implement a 90-day “collected length” sooner than an election to defend up voter rolls. Otherwise, voters is never any longer going to beget an opportunity to ideal any errors.
“Congress adopted the National Voter Registration Act’s collected length restriction to prevent error-inclined, eleventh hour efforts that every one too usually disenfranchise qualified voters,” Assistant U.S. Criminal professional Frequent Kristen Clarke stated in an announcement.
Pushing help on Johnson’s claims, Brennan stated, “Respectfully, speaker, you each — for the length of this interview — stated that you simply attain mediate that states beget taken measures that can succor the integrity of this election, and then you definately proper furthermore seem to undermine self belief in the integrity of the issue elections.”
Johnson responded with more conspiracy theories, specifically that Democrats “opened the border wide” to get more voters. “Masses of different folks theorize that that became so as that they’d well beget non-citizens to vote,” Johnson stated, providing zero proof as opposed to conjecture. “I wish it weren’t proper, however that’s the distress that other folks beget.”
When Brennan identified that it’s already unlawful for non-citizens to vote, Johnson argued that passing the SAVE Act — legislation that could well well require proof of citizenship to register to vote — would “be definite that the legislation is adopted.” Democrats blocked the invoice, with Democratic Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries calling the invoice “a voter suppression invoice” on yarn of it could well maybe disenfranchise citizens who don’t beget simple get entry to to documentation proving their citizenship.
Asked whether there’ll possible be a repeat of Jan. 6 in 2025, Johnson stated, “I don’t mediate we’ll label anything else bask in that. I for scramble pray and hope that’s proper.”
Johnson later promised: “We’re going to beget the nonetheless transition of energy.”
“Are you definite that at the nation’s Capitol, the lawmakers who you work with, gained’t be powerful the tip consequence?” Brennan asked.
“We’ll label what happens,” Johnson stated. “I will proper characterize you that we’re going to discover the legislation.”
Extinct Obtain. Liz Cheney expressed considerations about Johnson embracing conspiracy theories. She stated she doesn’t belief him to certify the 2024 election if Vice President Kamala Harris is the victor.
“I attain no longer beget faith that Mike Johnson will fulfill his constitutional tasks,” Cheney stated on Meet the Press after Johnson’s look on the demonstrate. “The claims of fraud Donald Trump became making [in 2020] … [Johnson] knew these to be counterfeit. He became told that, no longer finest in discussions with me, however furthermore by the Residence Republican counsel.”
Johnson has set a caveat on whether he’ll certify a Harris bag, declaring Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press that he will finest certify if the election is “free, beautiful and finest.”
That’s why, Cheney stated, “I mediate it’s very critical that the Republicans no longer be in the bulk in the Residence near January 2025.”
