“America is governed by the rule of law,” the chair of the House Republican Conference said in a statement. “The President and his lawyers have made claims of criminality and widespread fraud, which they allege could impact election results. If they have genuine evidence of this, they are obligated to present it immediately in court and to the American people.”
If the President cannot prove these claims or demonstrate that they would change the election result, he should fulfill his oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States by respecting the sanctity of our electoral process,” she added.
Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and others in House leadership have largely backed Trump as he contests the election results and continues to baselessly claim he won the race.
Sen. Susan Collins on Friday joined the minority of Republicans willing to speak out against the president, saying that by refusing to concede Trump was denying President-elect Joe Biden access to briefings, office space and government resources he would need in the lead up to his inauguration.
Collins also slammed Trump for seeking to “pressure” state election officials working to certify their results, including hosting a delegation of Michigan lawmakers at the White House.
“There is a right way and a wrong way to compile the evidence and mount legal challenges in our courts,” the Maine senator said. “The wrong way is to attempt to pressure state election officials. That undermines the public’s faith in our election results without evidence and court rulings to support the allegations.”