Outgoing Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.) is pleading with President Donald Trump to stop making baseless claims of voter fraud “for the sake of our nation.”
On Sunday, Trump tweeted, “We have some big things happening in our various litigations on the Election Hoax. Everybody knows it was Rigged.”
“They know Biden didn’t get more votes from the Black community than Obama, & certainly didn’t get 80,000,000 votes. Look what happened in Detroit, Philadelphia, plus!”
We have some big things happening in our various litigations on the Election Hoax. Everybody knows it was Rigged. They know Biden didn’t get more votes from the Black community than Obama, & certainly didn’t get 80,000,000 votes. Look what happened in Detroit, Philadelphia, plus!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2020
Twitter added a disclaimer that said the claim is “disputed” and linked to news stories about the security of U.S. elections. It also noted that the Department of Homeland Security labeled the 2020 election the “most secure in American history.”
Mitchell responded to the president’s claim in a tweet. He wrote, “Oh my God. [Donald Trump] Please for the sake of our Nation please drop these arguments without evidence or factual basis.”
Oh my God. .@realDonaldTrump Please for the sake of our Nation please drop these arguments without evidence or factual basis. #stopthestupid https://t.co/IMMImXrckV
— Paul Mitchell (@RepPaulMitchell) November 30, 2020
Mitchell has previously spoken about the election results and the president’s refusal to concede to President-elect Joe Biden.
In a tweet on Nov. 16, Mitchell dismissed the idea that recounts would change the result of the election. He wrote, “Recounts may change numbers slightly – not enough to change the outcome.”
I will keep trying this…@realDonaldTrump legal challenges alleging fraud have failed due to lack of evidence. Recounts may change numbers slightly – not enough to change the outcome. The good of this nation requires an effective transition. Let’s just deal with it.
— Paul Mitchell (@RepPaulMitchell) November 16, 2020
“The good of this nation requires an effective transition. Let’s just deal with it,” he added.
And during an interview on CNN, he said he believes it would be wise to at least start the transition process.
“Given the complexity, we need to start a process a transition to a new administration. What’s the worst that can happen? If by some miracle the president prevails, then we went through the effort for nothing,” he said.
He added, “I think we need to move on. I think the people have spoken, we have President-elect Biden, and we need to accept that.”
Since Mitchell’s comments, the Government Services Administration (GSA) has freed up resources for Biden’s team that have been allocated to assist in the presidential transition process.
However, Trump has claimed that decision to begin the transition does not mean he is conceding the race.
In a tweet after the GSA allowed the transition process to move forward, Trump wrote, “What does GSA being allowed to preliminarily work with the Dems have to do with continuing to pursue our various cases on what will go down as the most corrupt election in American political history?”
“We are moving full speed ahead. Will never concede to fake ballots [and] ‘Dominion,'” he added.
Twitter also added a warning that read, “This claim about election fraud is disputed.”
Mitchell did not run for re-election in 2020 and has blasted what he said is a dysfunctional Congress that is “too busy playing politics” to work on passing legislation to address the problems facing the country.
