Sen. Toomey: Trump Claims Of Widespread Election Fraud ‘Very Disturbing’

Tribune-Review (Greensburg, PA)

Nov. 6--Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania criticized President Donald Trump's baseless allegations of election fraud in an interview with "CBS This Morning" on Friday, saying that there is no evidence of widespread wrongdoing in his state.

"The president's speech last night was very disturbing to me because he made very, very serious allegations without evidence," Toomey said.

In a Thursday night speech from the White House, Trump attempted to cast doubt on the election, making numerous false allegations about fake and illegal ballots. He reserved special ire for Pennsylvania, a state he must win to retain the presidency.

"If you count the legal votes, I easily win," he said. "If you count the illegal votes, they can try to steal the election from us."

Toomey defended the integrity of the election process.

"There is simply no evidence that anybody has shown me, or anyone else I'm aware of, of any kind of corruption or fraud," he said.

He said counting should continue and praised poll workers and election officials for their efforts in a historic election.

"We have got to let this process play out," he said. "Sure, it's taking a long time because we have a record number, a staggering number of mail in ballots."

However, Toomey did criticize some aspects of Pennsylvania's electoral process.

A state Supreme Court ruling, which was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, allowed mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania to be received up to three days after election day, as long as there is no evidence they were postmarked after the election.

Toomey also criticized Philadelphia elections officials for not allowing poll watchers to stand close enough to poll workers.

A state commonwealth court judge Thursday ruled that poll watchers must be allowed to stand closer to the counting.

These issues are not indicative of serious wrongdoing, Toomey said.

"That's not proof that there's widespread fraud or theft. It's not likely at all," he told CBS.

Toomey endorsed and voted for Trump but said he will accept the eventual winner no matter the results.

"I want the next president to be the person who legitimately wins the Electoral College," he said. "You can't win an election until the votes have been counted."

Toomey said recounts and litigation could slow the final result but that they are an important part of the process.

"We've got a process that works. Let's finish it out," he said.

Jacob Tierney is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jacob at 724-836-6646, [email protected] or via Twitter .

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