Philadelphia officials have asserted that there is no evidence of election fraud in the city, sharply refuting Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s earlier unfounded claims of “massive cheating” there.
Trump refuses to acknowledge losing his 2020 reelection bid to current President Joe Biden and has long peddled unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud, despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary. The former U.S. leader has intensified those claims in recent weeks, fueling concerns that he may be laying the groundwork to contest a potential election loss.
Philadelphia officials have asserted that there is no evidence of election fraud in the city, sharply refuting Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s earlier unfounded claims of “massive cheating” there.
Trump refuses to acknowledge losing his 2020 reelection bid to current President Joe Biden and has long peddled unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud, despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary. The former U.S. leader has intensified those claims in recent weeks, fueling concerns that he may be laying the groundwork to contest a potential election loss.
On Tuesday, Trump alleged in a post on Truth Social that there was “a lot of talk about massive CHEATING in Philadelphia,” without offering any evidence. He added: “Law enforcement coming!!!”
His claims were swiftly repudiated by Philadelphia officials. “There is no factual basis whatsoever within law enforcement to support this wild allegation,” Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a statement on Tuesday, which noted that officials have “invited complaints and allegations of improprieties all day.”
“If Donald J. Trump has any facts to support his wild allegations, we want them now. Right now. We are not holding our breath,” Krasner added.
Seth Bluestein, a Republican Party member and a city commissioner in Philadelphia, said that Trump’s claim was “yet another example of disinformation.”
“There is absolutely no truth to this allegation,” he added on X, adding that the city has been in regular contact with the Republican National Convention. “We have been responsive to every report of irregularities at the polls to ensure Philadelphians can vote safely and securely,” he said.
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