We've written several reports about the apparently biased attorney general of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro. The AG tweeted about a Joe Biden victory in the state before any votes had even been counted. He is a candidate himself this year, and Republican candidate for Pennsylvania Attorney General Heather Heidelbaugh urged him to step aside from overseeing the vote count, arguing that he can't be both a political candidate and a neutral arbiter.
Rep. Fred Keller (R-PA) agrees. In a letter written by him and a handful of other Pennsylvania Republicans, he noted that he is "deeply concerned with how the Commonwealth has handled the general election."
"Statements made by Pennsylvania’s Attorney General, including social media posts calling the outcome of the election, prior to the tabulation of a single vote, are troubling and highlight the Attorney General’s inability to maintain impartiality and to separate his sworn duties from his political desires," they write. "We believe that due to this conflict, the Attorney General must recuse himself from all future election proceedings and appoint an impartial designee moving forward."
They shared much more than just their concern about Shapiro's "vested personal interest" in the election.
Today I joined my colleagues in the PA Republican Congressional delegation in calling on state officials to restore trust in PA's electoral system.
— Congressman Fred Keller (@RepFredKeller) November 7, 2020
Pennsylvanians deserve a free and fair election.
Read our letter to Governor Wolf, AG Shapiro, and Secretary Boockvar?? pic.twitter.com/WmTvbcU3YU
"From last minute guidance provided to the counties on the eve of the election, to the Attorney General playing dual roles as a political candidate and legal arbiter with a vested personal interest, to volunteer legal observers being prevented from having access to vote counting locations, we believe these conflicts and irregularities have greatly eroded public trust in the Commonwealth’s electoral system," the Republican lawmakers continued. "The citizens of the Commonwealth do not just expect free and fair elections, they deserve free and fair elections."
Adding their signatures to the letter were Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15), Mike Kelly (PA-16), John Joyce (PA-13), Scott Perry (PA-10), Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14), Dan Meuser (PA-09), Lloyd Smucker (PA-11), and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01).
“The citizens of the United States, not media outlets, determine the outcome of elections," Rep. Keller said in a statement on Saturday. "With recounts and legal challenges expected, we must let the process play out. Count every legal vote.”
In case you weren't concerned enough about AG Shapiro's role in the election, consider the PA Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar, who once tweeted that Donald Trump didn't even deserve to be called "president."
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