Trump's false election claims in focus in Va. governor race

3 years ago 247

RICHMOND, Va. – Republican Glenn Youngkin has not talked overmuch astir President Donald Trump’s lies astir elector fraud, the insurrection connected Jan. 6 oregon his party’s eroded spot successful elections. But erstwhile helium has, it has not gone smoothly.

The GOP nominee for politician of Virginia argued this week that the state's voting machines indispensable beryllium regularly audited, suggesting that would guarantee “everybody tin trust” the process. Left unsaid was that the machines already acquisition yearly audits.

The remark followed a caller interrogation successful which Youngkin did not straight accidental whether helium would person voted to certify Democrat Joe Biden's victory, had helium been successful Congress. He aboriginal followed up to accidental helium would have.

The murky answers and clarification underscore Youngkin's dilemma erstwhile it comes to talking astir past year's election. False claims and misinformation astir the results are truthful wide believed by Republican voters that disputing the lies tin beryllium politically risky. For months, portion moving for his party's nomination, Youngkin declined to accidental whether Biden was legitimately elected.

Now, successful a wide election, vying for votes successful a choky contention successful left-leaning Virginia, Youngkin has tried to defy being branded arsenic a predetermination denier oregon letting Democrats necktie him to Trump's mendacious claims.

The erstwhile president hasn't made it easy. His governmental enactment committee sent an email precocious Wednesday highlighting a communicative astir Youngkin's comments, writing: “ICYMI: ‘Youngkin calls for audit of voting machines successful Virginia.’"

Trump has been pushing Republicans successful battleground states to signifier “audits” of the results. He is unbowed by the information that the astir high-profile introspection — a partisan reappraisal of ballots successful Arizona's largest region — turned up nary evidence that the predetermination was stolen.

Democrats seized connected the emailed remarks arsenic a motion that the 2 men are aligned.

“Last night’s endorsement made the 5th clip that Donald Trump has publically endorsed Glenn Youngkin,” Democratic Party of Virginia chairwoman Susan Swecker said successful a telephone with reporters Thursday. “Glenn conscionable can’t get capable and helium continues to beryllium each successful connected Donald Trump’s baseless predetermination conspiracy theories that erode our antiauthoritarian processes and lead, arsenic we person each seen, to violence.”

Youngkin's opponent, erstwhile Gov. Terry McAuliffe, rapidly released an ad focused connected Youngkin's remarks, which overlaid audio of the Republican with shaky video footage of the Jan. 6 insurrection astatine the U.S. Capitol.

“Glenn Youngkin’s priorities are clear: helium is moving for politician to bring Donald Trump’s unsafe conspiracy theories to Virginia,” McAuliffe said successful a statement.

The comments from Youngkin, a businessman and first-time governmental candidate, came portion helium was speaking to a historically Black voting rights group, the Richmond Crusade for Voters, connected Monday.

Asked a question astir whether helium would motion authorities restricting voting rights, Youngkin responded by saying helium wanted to reconstruct spot successful the predetermination process. He projected removing the Department of Elections from the purview of the governor's bureau and making it “independent,” restoring a elector ID request and making definite “voter rolls are updated.”

“I deliberation we request to marque definite that radical spot these voting machines. And I conscionable deliberation ... I grew up successful a satellite wherever you person an audit each year, successful businesses you person an audit. So let’s conscionable audit the voting machines, people it truthful everybody tin spot it. And I deliberation erstwhile we property guardant with this we're going to conscionable marque everybody comfy that we successful information person an predetermination strategy that everybody tin trust."

Virginia already conducts yearly post-election audits of ballot-scanner machines, and the 1 conducted aft past year's predetermination affirmed the results accurately portrayed the winner.

McAuliffe approved a measure successful 2017 that outlined procedures for the existing audits, and his run said Thursday helium inactive supports the law.

Asked Thursday for further remark astir his remarks, Youngkin spokesperson Matt Wolking emphasized that Youngkin has been calling for audits since February and said if elected “he volition guarantee Virginia continues to behaviour audits going guardant and that they are thorough, businesslike and accurate.”

Youngkin made “election integrity” central to his run aboriginal on. In February, erstwhile asked by The Washington Post if Biden was legitimately elected, helium declined to say.

But since winning the nomination successful May, Youngkin has acknowledged Biden’s triumph and mostly focused connected different issues.

“I’ve said implicit and implicit again that Joe Biden’s our president,” Youngkin said during his archetypal debate against McAuliffe. “I privation helium wasn’t.”

In the 2nd debate, helium said “there wasn’t worldly fraud” and “the predetermination was certifiably fair.”

He hasn't wholly dropped the topic, though. He spoke astatine an “election integrity” rally astatine Liberty University, the conservative, Christian field that's a fashionable run spot for GOP candidates, successful August. Earlier successful the summer, helium failed to refute a conspiracy mentation an attendee raised during a run event, according to an speech captured connected audio and first reported by the Huffington Post.

After the attendee suggested Trump could beryllium restored to office, Youngkin responded: “I don’t cognize the particulars astir however that tin happen, due to the fact that what’s happening successful the tribunal strategy is moving dilatory and it’s unclear. And we each cognize the courts determination slowly.”

Biden was certified arsenic the victor and sworn into bureau successful January. There is nary tribunal lawsuit pending that would reverse the outcome.

Youngkin has besides drawn disapproval for welcoming the enactment of authorities Sen. Amanda Chase, who has embraced predetermination conspiracy theories, astatine his run events. And 2 weeks ago, he did not straight respond erstwhile asked by an Axios newsman if helium would person voted to certify the 2020 election, had helium been successful Congress.

A time later, he clarified and said helium “absolutely” would have.

Tucker Martin, a Virginia-based Republican advisor and erstwhile communications manager for erstwhile Gov. Bob McDonnell, said that with the contention adjacent and successful its last stretch, the McAuliffe run has crushed to nexus Youngkin to Trump — it volition occurrence up the Democratic voters who delivered the authorities to Biden past year.

“This is what the Democrats are going to bash to Glenn Youngkin, from present till the predetermination ends. They request to find immoderate imaginable accidental to punctual voters that Glenn Youngkin is portion of Donald Trump’s party.”

Read Entire Article