John Bolton Urges Republicans To Publicly Reject Trump's 'Baseless' Voter Fraud Claims

Former national security adviser John Bolton on Sunday called on Republican leaders to publicly reject President Donald Trump s unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud and acknowledge President-elect Joe Biden s victory.

I think its very important for leaders of the Republican Party to explain to our voters who are not as stupid as the Democrats think that, in fact, Trump has lost the election and that his claims of election fraud are baseless, Bolton told ABCs This Week.

Trump has repeatedly declared he won reelection, despite virtually all major media networks projecting Biden as the winner. Several world leaders and Republican lawmakers have congratulated Biden on his win, but the president and the majority of Republican senators have either refused to do so or remained silent on the matter.

The Trump campaign has filed multiple lawsuits in several states alleging voter fraud and ballot-counting irregularities. So far, the campaign has produced no evidence of widespread issues. Multiple judges have dismissed some of the lawsuits.

The fact is that weve seen litigation in all the key battleground states, and it has failed consistently, said Bolton, who left the White House in September 2019 after clashing with Trump on foreign policy issues.

Right now, the Trump campaign is doing the legal equivalent of pitching pennies, Bolton added. Where are there silver dollars? Where is the evidence? I think as every day goes by, its clear and clear there isnt any evidence.

NEW: Former National Security Adviser John Bolton urges GOP leadership to \"explain to our voters... that in fact Trump has lost the election and that these claims of election fraud are baseless.\" https://t.co/n7MOSxWdol pic.twitter.com/S4eELHLBPX

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NEW: Former National Security Adviser John Bolton urges GOP leadership to "explain to our voters... that in fact Trump has lost the election and that these claims of election fraud are baseless." https://t.co/n7MOSxWdol pic.twitter.com/S4eELHLBPX
This Week (@ThisWeekABC) November 15, 2020

Thousands of Trump supporters gathered in Washington on Saturday to echo the presidents false claims that Democrats rigged the election. The rally turned violent when tensions came to a head with counter-demonstrators, leading to at least one stabbing and more than a dozen arrests.

If the Republican voters are only hearing Donald Trumps misrepresentations, its not surprising that they believe it, Bolton said Sunday. Its critical for other Republican leaders to stand up and explain what actually happened: Donald Trump lost by what any evidence we have so far was a free and fair election.

In a tweet earlier Sunday, Trump appeared to publicly acknowledge for the first time that Biden won the election. He quickly backtracked in a subsequent tweet, stating he concedes NOTHING and that Biden had only won in the eyes of the FAKE NEWS MEDIA.

Bolton said Sunday that he believed most Republicans are getting ready to recognize Biden as president-elect.

This is a character test for the Republican Party, Bolton told ABC. I dont buy the argument that Donald Trump has hypnotized Republican voters or that theyre not capable of accepting the truth. ... But it requires people to explain what happened. The Trump campaign simply has no evidence.

Pressed on how few in the Republican party are coming forward and recognizing Joe Biden as president-elect, John Bolton tells @MarthaRaddatz he thinks \"they're getting ready to do it.\"

\"I think this is a character test for the Republican party.\" https://t.co/n7MOSxWdol pic.twitter.com/U9jcQFBjMx

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Pressed on how few in the Republican party are coming forward and recognizing Joe Biden as president-elect, John Bolton tells @MarthaRaddatz he thinks "they're getting ready to do it."

"I think this is a character test for the Republican party." https://t.co/n7MOSxWdol pic.twitter.com/U9jcQFBjMx
This Week (@ThisWeekABC) November 15, 2020

Trump lashed out at Bolton later Sunday, calling him sullen, dull and quiet and one of the dumbest people hes ever worked with in the government.

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A real dope! the president tweeted .