Republicans alleging vote fraud ‘hellbent on destroying fabric’ of America: Clyburn

In a Monday virtual press conference, U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-Columbia, told South Carolina reporters that the Republican efforts to prove widespread fraud in last week’s presidential election are not only futile but are hurting the country.

“Nobody has seen any fraud involved in this election,” said Clyburn, 80, the third-ranking Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

In several battleground states — Arizona, Nevada, Georgia and Pennsylvania — Republican associates of President Trump have made vocal allegations of fraud and filed lawsuits. But they have not as of yet produced any solid evidence of widespread fraud that, even if true, would overturn the results of last week’s election.

As of mid-afternoon Monday, President-elect Joe Biden led Trump by about 45,000 votes in Pennsylvania, 10,000 votes in Georgia, 36,000 votes in Nevada and 18,000 votes in Arizona, according to the latest Associated Press tallies. Biden won the overall election by more than 5 million votes and exceeded the 270 electoral vote threshold needed to become president.

“What this Trump White House is doing, I think it’s unbecoming of what this country is all about,” said Clyburn, who just won reelection to a 15th term.

“I don’t know what some people are hellbent on destroying the fabric that has held this country together all these years,” said Clyburn, citing tough past presidential elections where Republicans as well as Democrats have each, in their turn, gracefully accepted their opponent’s win and bowed to the longstanding norm of the peaceful transfer of power.

“I tell you this,” said Clyburn, his voice rising, “If anybody was involved in fraud here in South Carolina, we darn sure wouldn’t be losing three (state) senatorial seats. And in the country, we wouldn’t be losing seven or eight congressional seats. Why would I be committing fraud on behalf of the presidential candidate and not be taking care of my own congressional candidates?

“Come on! that kind of stuff is foolishness,” Clyburn said.

In his remaining time in office, Trump needs to concentrate on reining in the pandemic, Clyburn said.

“I would hope that my conservative friends in the Congress will have an intervention or something with this president. This country is bigger than one person. And to allow the people of this country to suffer — we’re nearing 245,000 deaths — and we’re still messing around and won’t get people the relief that they need. Our infection rate is the worst in the world.”

Trump needs to be told, “It’s time to stop the campaigning,” Clyburn said. “The campaign is over.”

Clyburn reached back into his past to tell a story illustrating how losing candidates should behave.

“The first time I ran for office, in 1970, I was declared the winner at 10 o’clock in the evening. I was running for state legislature,” Clyburn said.

But a recount later that night showed, “rather than being a 500-vote winner, I was a 500-vote loser because somebody forgot to carry over a ‘one’ when they were adding up the votes,” said Clyburn.

“The next morning I was asked by various media, ‘What happened?’ And my reply was, ‘I didn’t get enough votes.’ I was pressed about that, and I maintain, then until now, I just didn’t get enough votes.”

Clyburn said that although it was likely that “something went wrong” with that vote, “When the elections are over, you move on.... you come together to better this country.”

Clyburn, asked about Trump’s Monday firing of Defense Secretary Mark Esper, said, “Esper is just someone who has got a brain and he uses it in a very positive way. This president seems not to like people who are independent thinkers …. And use their head for more than just a hat rack.”

For months, Esper’s firing has been rumored because he publicly disagreed with Trump on Trump’s wanting to use American troops to quell civilian protests in U.S. cities and Trump’s wanting to allow Confederate flags on U.S. military bases. (Trump wanted both of those.)

Clyburn also said his goal is to stay in Congress and he would not accept a post even if President-elect Biden were to offer him one.

“I have absolutely no interest in being in this administration,” Clyburn said.

This story was originally published November 9, 2020 at 3:36 PM.