Trump renews baseless claims of election cheating, pairing 2020 lies with recent threats

With days left in the presidential flee, light President Trump has once extra questioned U.S. election integrity — pairing long debunked lies about the 2020 election being stolen from him with equally baseless claims of recent cheating.

In a Friday put up on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote that there turned into “rampant Dishonest and Skulduggery” in 2020; that he and his allies are observing intently for same complications in the sizzling flee; and that, if he wins, those desirous about such “unscrupulous behavior” will doubtless be “sought out, caught, and prosecuted at ranges, unfortunately, never viewed earlier than in our Country.”

Trump’s remarks echoed old claims he has made without proof that U.S. elections delight in been corrupted, and drew renewed condemnation from election consultants.

“Sadly we have viewed this playbook earlier than,” acknowledged Sophia Lin Lakin, director of the Vote casting Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union, which is fighting lawful challenges to voter ranking right of entry to initiatives and protections nationwide.

“Trump is doubling down on environment the groundwork to query and strive to overturn the election if it doesn’t slither his formula,” Lakin acknowledged. “His threats of prosecution sound in authoritarianism and might well unexcited ache all who care about maintaining our democratic institutions.”

Sean Morales-Doyle, director of the Vote casting Rights Program at the Brennan Heart for Justice at Novel York University, acknowledged it turned into principal no longer to repeat Trump’s claims however refute them — because of they’re no longer grounded in actual fact, they most frequently undermine the very machine he is criticizing by utilizing down belief and participation amongst voters.

“Not handiest are these lies, however there is every motive to delight in self assurance in the machine, and the supreme formula to manufacture the machine work is taking portion in it,” Morales-Doyle acknowledged.

He acknowledged that whereas the election machine has been tested heavily in recent times — alongside side by Trump and his followers, who delight in confronted criminal payments for seeking to subvert the final election — it has proven itself to be “if truth be told somewhat strong and resilient.”

“Voters might well perchance moreover unexcited know they’ll belief our elections, their votes are safe, and we are going to ranking a draw to delight in outcomes we can belief after Nov. 5,” he acknowledged.

Neither the Trump marketing campaign nor the Harris marketing campaign responded to requests for comment Friday. Harris has beforehand acknowledged Trump’s 2020 election denial is disqualifying — proof he is unfit for place of enterprise.

Some consultants acknowledged Trump’s remarks were in particular brazen given it is Trump and his supporters who delight in been credibly accused of seeking to overturn an election, alongside side by storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Special prosecutor Jack Smith is unexcited pursuing a case against Trump for allegedly taking section in a sweeping criminal conspiracy to no longer ethical divulge the 2020 election of President Biden, however also subvert it.

Trump and his allies went to great lengths to search out proof of substantive election fraud or irregularities in 2020 however failed, and divulge elections officers, fair elections consultants and most People agree this day that Biden’s victory turned into legitimate.

Trump then “resorted to crimes to delight in a delight in a look at to establish in place of enterprise,” Smith alleged in a filing final month.

The filing detailed how Trump allegedly conducted a “stress marketing campaign” focusing on Republican leaders, election officers and election workers in states he had lost to substitute the outcomes there; in my belief place into walk and monitored a blueprint to send faux slates of electors to Washington to solid divulge electoral votes for him in place of Biden, who had obtained them; and continued his “walk of disinformation” on Jan. 6 by falsely suggesting then-Vice President Mike Pence might well perchance moreover unilaterally discontinuance the certification of Biden’s victory.

To boot to the federal case, Trump also turned into charged by Georgia prosecutors with seeking to subvert the election there.

Trump has known as the cases against him bogus, and Smith’s case in suppose a “SCAM.”

In his put up Friday, Trump informed of us to be “conscious” that those going thru “lawful exposure” in his supposed crackdown would embody legal professionals, political operatives, donors, unlawful voters and “unsuitable election officers.”

Morales-Doyle acknowledged Trump’s warnings were in particular alarming given they were paired with his meritless claims about 2020.

“It is very troubling to listen to anyone imply that they would use prosecutorial vitality that formula and slither after of us for what I settle on to deem might well perchance be political functions — because of we know that all of the statements about fraud in our elections that he is making are faux,” he acknowledged.

Morales-Doyle has raised same concerns about the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, asserting it also promotes conservative candidates using the Justice Division to head after political competitors — alongside side those who enhance voter ranking right of entry to measures in liberal jurisdictions.

He known as such options “appalling.”