Trump Announces ‘Major’ Voter Fraud Investigation

Trump Announces ‘Major’ Voter Fraud Investigation
U.S. President Donald Trump during a swearing in ceremony of White House senior staff in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC. on Jan. 22, 2017. (Andrew Harrer-Pool/Getty Images)
The Associated Press
1/25/2017
Updated:
1/25/2017

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have finalized their election results with no reports of the kind of widespread fraud so far.

“He believes what he believes based on the information he was provided,” said Spicer.

If the president’s claim is true, it would mark the most significant election fraud in U.S. history.

Rep. Elijah Cummings, ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said Wednesday his panel has already sent letters to the attorneys general in all 50 states asking for reports of any election irregularities.

“The president can join me and my staff,” Cummings said on MSNBC. He also said he wants Congress to restore voting protections, citing a Supreme Court ruling that “gutted” key sections of the Voting Rights Act, particularly the provision requiring southern states to get clearance in advance from the Justice Department before legislating changes in voting laws and procedures.

Some Trump allies say Trump is justified in using his platform to defend his standing. They point to Georgia Democratic Rep. John Lewis’ pre-inauguration statement that he did not see Trump as a legitimate president, as well as U.S. intelligence agencies’ assessment that Russia meddled in the election in order to help Trump win.