First, let's stipulate a fact once again, for the people in the back: The 2020 election was legitimate, and Joe Biden won it. There is zero credible evidence that Donald Trump's margin of loss could be attributable to fraud in any of the states he lost, let alone the multiple states he'd need to carry in order to win the electoral college. The Trump campaign had dozens of prime opportunities to offer proof to the contrary in courts of law, and either face-planted badly, or didn't even try. Some prominent Republican lawmakers who voted to object to counting electoral votes due to 'irregularities' or other alleged problems -- including this guy, who once falsely claimed that Trump had won the election -- are now acknowledging reality. Trump himself, without officially conceding, acknowledges that the new administration will be inaugurated next week and has committed to an orderly transition -- while demanding that anyone thinking about carrying out any more mayhem must stand down. That hasn't stopped some in Trump world from continuing to go on television and lie about the election being "stolen" or whatever:
While perpetuating baseless claims that Trump won the election, WH Trade Adviser Peter Navarro says Dems “did violence” by impeaching Trump:
— The Recount (@therecount) January 14, 2021
“Knock it off, stop this, let the man leave peacefully with his dignity.” pic.twitter.com/3B11KkUSv6
Navarro has put together a sloppy, error-riddled "report" packed with inaccuracies and innuendo. A former GOP spokesperson is amplifying his supposed findings. I won't link to it, but others have been fact-checking it, which must feel like an endless game of whack-a-mole. For a sense of how bogus it is, the very first claim in the thread is that "[Arizona] exceeded 100% turnout among registered voters in a state that doesn't allow same-day registration." That sounds ominous. Except it easily debunked: Arizona's official voter turnout was just under 80 percent, with roughly 3.4 million citizens voting in the state out of nearly 4.3 million registered. After a deadly riot provoked by a massive lie, imagine still clinging to the idea that Trump is the "real" winner, and advancing an instantly disprovable claim as your first piece of "evidence." Yet the 'more votes than registered voters' keeps getting falsely recycled over and over -- and apparently some people are happy to lap it up, regardless of its veracity. Don't be one of those people.
On the flip side of the voter fraud/integrity ledger, far too many on the Left have claimed for years that illegal voting is a figment of the right-wing's imagination. The truth is that fraud absolutely exists, and reasonable steps must be taken to prevent it -- and simply screaming "suppression" doesn't change that reality. Examples of double-voting, ineligible people casting ballots, or votes being fraudulently altered are real. And yes, Republicans sometimes do it too. And when such instances are discovered, perpetrators should be punished, publicly and severely. Which brings us to new charges out of Texas:
A woman accused of voter fraud in San Antonio has been arrested & charged with illegal voting, unlawfully assisting people voting by mail & unlawfully possessing a ballot.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 13, 2021
She faces up to 20 years in prison.
Texas doesn't tolerate election fraud.https://t.co/6Y9mL6VB51
Raquel Rodriguez is charged with election fraud, illegal voting, unlawfully assisting people voting by mail and unlawfully possessing an official ballot. If Rodriguez is convicted, she could face up to 20 years in prison, Paxton said. Paxton said the source of evidence used against Rodriguez was video taken last fall and released online by the group Project Veritas...the Election Fraud Division of his office reviewed “dozens of hours of unedited, raw footage” provided by the group, which ultimately led to Rodriguez’s arrest...In Texas, 150 people have been charged with voter fraud since 2004, KXAN News investigator Jody Barr reported in October. He reported 138 of those cases ended with either a guilty plea or a jury conviction, with the “vast majority” of cases settled through plea agreements with the attorney general.
I'll leave you with a pro tip for Democrats and leftists who pretend voter fraud doesn't exist at all: When it's discovered, proven, and punished, don't openly celebrate the violator.