Illinois Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger tweeted on Sunday that President Donald Trump's allegations that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Justice could be involved in rigging the November presidential election were "silly."
Trump has refused to concede the election to President-elect Joe Biden although Biden has widely been projected to be the winner. Trump's legal team has filed lawsuits attempting to prevent states from certifying their election results. Kinzinger, who also serves as a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, has congratulated Biden on his apparent election victory. During a Sunday interview with Maria Bartiromo on Fox News, Trump implied that government agencies may have been connected to improprieties in the electoral process.
"This is total fraud," Trump told Bartiromo. "And how the FBI and Department of Justice—I don't know, maybe they're involved—but how people are allowed to get away from this stuff, it's unbelievable."
Kinzinger tweeted that Trump's allegations were untrue. "The @FBI did not rig the election," Kinzinger tweeted Sunday. "If you find yourself believing they did, please stop, and say it out loud, and you will realize how silly it sounds. @realDonaldTrump simply flooding the zone with baseless conspiracies again."
The @FBI did not rig the election. If you find yourself believing they did, please stop, and say it out loud, and you will realize how silly it sounds. @realDonaldTrump simply flooding the zone with baseless conspiracies again.
— Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) November 29, 2020
When asked by Bartiromo if the FBI and DOJ were actively investigating the allegations of election manipulation, Trump said both agencies were "missing in action." Newsweek reached out to the DOJ for comment.
Kinzinger tweeted his congratulations to Biden after his apparent victory in November, saying that the U.S. "deserves two competing parties who can work together when possible, and compete honorably when not." Other members of the GOP that have congratulated Biden include Utah Senator Mitt Romney, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski and Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse.
Trump's legal team has alleged a multiplicity of fraudulent activity ranging from individuals being allowed to vote after election day to voting machines manufactured by the company Dominion being programmed to flip votes for Trump to Biden. Dominion has publicly denied these accusations. Many of the lawsuits filed on behalf of Trump's re-election campaign have failed to go forward.
While Trump is not required by law to formally concede the presidency, he has indicated that he will leave the White House if Biden wins the Electoral College. "It's going to be a very hard thing to concede," Trump told reporters on Friday, "because we know there was massive fraud." Many observers have described Trump's claims as unsubstantiated.
Currently, Biden holds 306 electoral votes to Trump's 232 electoral votes. A candidate needs to receive 270 votes in the Electoral College to be formally declared the president.
On December 14, the Electoral College is expected to officially cast their ballots for president and vice-president. Many states have laws in effect prohibiting their electors from casting a vote for the candidate who lost the election in their state. All electoral disputes, including those filed by Trump's legal team, are required to be settled by December 8.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
