The media is demanding that Republican lawmakers accept that Joe Biden is president-elect. CNN compiled a list of Republicans who haven't done so yet, while the Washington Post sent a pointed questionnaire to them hoping they'd fall in line.
Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) found the same treatment when he appeared on ABC's "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos on Sunday. The anchor asked him directly, "Why can't you accept the results?" But Braun tried to explain to the anchor that with so much witness testimony about voter fraud in key states, the fight is not over.
"I think when you reflexively dismiss that maybe nothing has happened at all, versus the other side of the spectrum, systemic fraud, widespread, it's a wide gulf," he responded, later adding, "I think when you say there's nothing there, you're going to have half of the country uncertain about what just happened, and disgruntled going into the future."
In places like Indiana a lot of people are uncertain about what happened in the election, and if you just say "there's nothing there" reflexively without investigating it thoroughly you're going to have half of the country uncertain about the integrity of our elections. pic.twitter.com/DczdjW8HaN
— Senator Mike Braun (@SenatorBraun) December 6, 2020
"And from the get-go, there was a dialogue on recounts, and people have certified all this stuff," Braun said. "That, to me, is dismissing some of the evidence, sworn testimony, that's out there. And if you don't carry it to its conclusion, you're going to have uneasiness going into the future."
"If you don't pursue it, overturn every stone, this is going to linger into the future," he warned.
Braun got specific, reminding Stephanopoulos about the suspicious video footage of election workers in Fulton County, GA taking suitcases of ballots out from under the table after poll watchers were told to go home for the night. The anchor shot back to say there was "nothing improper" about that process, but Braun insisted that videos like that need to be further scrutinized.
Braun makes good points. I wish he also would have asked Stephanopoulos if he had demanded Democrats accept Donald Trump's election victory four years ago. In fact, as the Media Research Center reported on Monday, the media was happily casting doubt on that result.
“Did Russian hacking help Donald Trump win?” ABC’s Dan Harris asked at the time.