Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) is joining a number of Republican lawmakers who say they are ready to move beyond former President Donald Trump’s unfounded claims of widespread fraud in the election.
Cornyn was asked on Tuesday if he was concerned about Trump’s continued statements claiming that there was widespread fraud in the presidential election that tilted the results in President Joe Biden’s favor.
“I am not… I think that’s behind us,” he responded.
When asked if he would be concerned if the former president continued to claim the election was stolen, Cornyn said, “If you keep talking about it, maybe.”
Asked if he's concerned w/ Trump’s continued statements that Biden did not legitimately win the 2020 election
— Ali Zaslav (@alizaslav) May 18, 2021
GOP Sen Cornyn said: "I am not..I think that’s behind us"@foxreports follow up: Is it though if he keeps talking abt it?
Cornyn: "If you keep talking about it, maybe"
Cornyn is not the only Republican senator who has signaled they are ready to move on from the 2020 election.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told reporters on Monday, “I accept the results of the election. … 2020 is over to me. I’m ready to march on and hopefully take back the House and the Senate in 2022.”
“I think there are a lot of people that feel like bad things happened in the election… But I think President Trump and the Republican Party needs to focus on election reform and the upcoming election,” he added.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) also said he does not believe “anybody is questioning the legitimacy of the presidential election.”
“That’s all over with. We are sitting here with the president today. From that point of view, I don’t think that’s a problem,” he added.
While Graham, Cornyn, and McCarthy said they are ready to move on from talking about the last election, Trump does not appear to be moving on.
In a statement on his website over the weekend, he claimed the election “the Presidential Election of 2020 will go down as THE CRIME OF THE CENTURY!”
He added, “The 2020 Presidential Election was, by far, the greatest Election Fraud in the history of our Country. The good news is, the American people get it and the truth is rapidly coming out!”
Despite Trump’s claims of widespread fraud, former Attorney General William Barr told the Associated Press the Justice Department has “not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.”
