GOP lawmaker to Trump: Drop election argument ‘for the sake of our Nation’

Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.) is calling on President Trump to stop spreading unfounded conspiracy theories about the 2020 election “for the sake of our Nation.”

Mitchell on Sunday tweeted in response to Trump, who had posted on Twitter: “Everybody knows it was Rigged. They know Biden didn’t get more votes from the Black community than Obama, & certainly didn’t get 80,000,000 votes. Look what happened in Detroit, Philadelphia, plus!”

Twitter flagged Trump’s post as containing disputed claims about the presidential election.

“Oh my God. .@realDonaldTrump Please for the sake of our Nation please drop these arguments without evidence or factual basis. #stopthestupid” Mitchell tweeted.

Oh my God. .@realDonaldTrump Please for the sake of our Nation please drop these arguments without evidence or factual basis. #stopthestupid https://t.co/IMMImXrckV

— Rep. Paul Mitchell (@RepPaulMitchell) November 30, 2020

The president has repeatedly promoted conspiracy theories and false claims of election fraud in key battleground states such as Michigan and Pennsylvania, and specifically urban population centers such as Detroit and Philadelphia. The Trump campaign’s legal challenges to the results have faced one defeat after another.

Michigan last week certified President-elect Joe Biden’s win in the state.

Mitchell is the latest Michigan Republican to push back on the president’s claims and defend the integrity of the state’s election process. Last week, Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) told CNN’s Dana Bash: “You know what? The voters have spoken. No one has come up with any evidence of fraud or abuse. All 83 counties have certified their own election results.”

“You have to let those votes stand. People know the process. … I voted absentee. So did my wife. So did my parents. So did my brother and his wife. The process has been in place for a long time. It works. And there’s no issues of fraud anywhere,” he added.

State Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey (R) and state House Speaker Lee Chatfield (R) also threw cold water on calls to appoint pro-Trump electors despite the outcome in the state.

“We will follow the law and follow the normal process regarding Michigan’s electors, just as we have said throughout this election,” the two Republican state lawmakers said in a joint statement.