Fox News’ Ed Henry is pressing White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany on what appears to be a double standard in regards to voting by mail.
On Thursday, McEnany appeared on “America’s Newsroom” where she was asked about her history of voting by mail in comparison to that of other registered voters.
“So, why is it okay for you to do it — I understand you’re traveling and in a different city — but how can we be assured that your votes were counted accurately, but when other people do it, it’s fraud?” Henry asked.
Voting records reportedly show McEnany has effectively voted by mail 11 times in the last 10 years. However, she still defended President Donald Trump’s argument about the probability of voter fraud amid the upcoming election.
“The president has been very clear, every American is entitled to vote the way that I did,” McEnany said.
See McEnany’s remarks below:
She went on to list a number of instances where voting by mail is justified.
“If you are some who’s working out-of-state and your domicile is in a different state, you are absolutely entitled to request an absentee ballot and cast your ballot by mail,” she said.
While McEnany did admit that everyone is entitled to vote by mail, she stresses that the president’s concern focuses on mass voting by mail. Despite no evidence of widespread voter fraud, McEnany claims the Trump administration knows mass voting “is subject to fraud.”
“I am entitled to that, and the average viewer is entitled to that, the president has no qualms with that,” she said, adding, “He’s for absentee voters for a reason. What he’s not for is mass, mail-in voting, what Nancy Pelosi is asking for, which we know is subject to fraud.”
McEnany went on to offer examples of places where voter fraud could take place, she repeated an allegation that 112% of the population in Los Angeles County in California is registered to vote.
“Automatically, the state sends to all of its voter rolls a ballot where in L.A. County you have 112% of the population registered. Ask yourself how that happens,” McEnany said.
During the White House press briefing, McEnany was questioned about mail-in voting again. Referencing the same claim about California, McEnany doubled down on the president’s arguments about possible voter fraud.
KARL: Trump said California was sending out ballots to everybody in the state. That is a false statement. Will he correct that?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 28, 2020
McENANY: *alludes to claims that have already been debunked as "pants on fire" lies https://t.co/VHNbCfjixp* pic.twitter.com/RDG70TlfwQ
McEnany’s latest push back against voting by mail comes amid the president’s criticism of Democrats in favor of mail-in voting amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Voting by mail is legal in all 50 states. A total of 16 states require a valid excuse to vote by mail, with medical illness listed as a valid reason to do so. A total of 29 states require no excuse to vote by mail while the remaining 5 rely on all-mail voting for elections.