Donald Trump thought he finally had the evidence that would prove he had been cheated out of a second term in office.
Trump referenced a tweet from Pennsylvania Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano that purported to show more ballots had been returned in the election than were sent out:
This was posted on our Department of State dashboard but had since been deleted. pic.twitter.com/bDmvCK0kDB
— Senator Doug Mastriano (@SenMastriano) November 27, 2020
That led Trump to fire off this response:
The 1,126,940 votes were created out of thin air. I won Pennsylvania by a lot, perhaps more than anyone will ever know. The Pennsylvania votes were RIGGED. All other swing states also. The world is watching! https://t.co/zmnk34Ny23
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 28, 2020
Just one problem: The numbers cited are from the June 2, 2020 primary election:
That a Pennsylvania state senator would use figures from the wrong election is astounding.
Either it’s ignorance or bad faith, neither of which is good for PA or the country. https://t.co/NIp7sarPKS
— Derek Willis (@derekwillis) November 28, 2020
It’s also just a ridiculous claim. The state of PA – Doug Mastriano is an elected officer in its government – produces a file showing how many mail ballots were sent and returned for the general election. It shows 3 million sent.
He has access to that file.
— Derek Willis (@derekwillis) November 28, 2020
Mastriano was just getting warmed up, however, suggesting on Saturday that “mounting evidence” points to the election being stolen for Biden:
There is mounting evidence that the PA presidential election was compromised. If this is the case, under Article II, Section 1.2 of the US Constitution, the state legislature has the sole authority to direct the manner of selecting delegates to the Electoral College. (1)
— Senator Doug Mastriano (@SenMastriano) November 28, 2020
Therefore, we are introducing a Resolution to exercise our obligation and authority to appoint delegates to the Electoral College. (3)
— Senator Doug Mastriano (@SenMastriano) November 28, 2020
But that’s not going to go anywhere, either, as Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA) noted Saturday during an appearance on MSNBC:
“The President will fail in overturning any of these Electoral College challenges.”
Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA) says Donald Trump’s “desperate attempt” to overturn the electoral results in the state will fail, just like his lawsuits. pic.twitter.com/22o5COQzgz
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) November 28, 2020
Here’s what’s really happening with all of the Republican hue and cry over Democrats “stealing” the 2020 election: It’s all projection. Trump knows the 2016 election was handed to him by Russia, so now he’s accusing others of the very thing he’s guilty of.
But the numbers don’t lie, and they all say the same thing: Joe Biden is the 46th President of the United States and Donald Trump is a one-term loser.