Never shy about saying what she means, Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney is one of the few but growing number of Republicans to tell President Trump it’s time to put up or shut up.
Cheney, in a statement on Friday, told the president that claims of election fraud must be backed by evidence rather than just allegations.
“America is governed by the rule of law. The President and his lawyers have made claims of criminality and widespread fraud, which they allege could impact election results,” Cheney said. “If they have genuine evidence of this, they are obligated to present it immediately in court and to the American people.”
“If the President cannot prove these claims or demonstrate that they would change the election result, he should fulfill his oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States by respecting the sanctity of our electoral process,” she said.
The president fired back Friday evening saying that he wouldn’t accept the results of the election claiming that there were enough fraudulent votes cast to “easily flip the election.”
“You’re just unhappy that I’m bringing the troops back home where they belong!” Trump said.
Longtime Trump ally Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, echoed Cheney’s remarks on Sunday.
“Listen, I have been a supporter of the president,” Christie said on ABC. “I voted for him twice, but elections have consequences, and we cannot continue to act as if something happened here that didn’t happen.”
In calling Trump’s legal team a “national embarrassment,” Christie said it was time to present the evidence of fraud.
“If you are unwilling to come forward and present the evidence, it must mean the evidence doesn’t exist,” he said. “The country is what has to matter the most. As much as I’m a strong Republican and I love my party, it’s the country that has to come first.”
Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, meanwhile, refused to cede ground stating that the president has every right to challenge the results of the election stating that “the American people have a right to feel confident in the election process.”
“The president has every right to use all the appeals and recounts and legal measures he’s using,” Barrasso said on FOX News. The election is much closer than people though.”
“Ultimately if there is genuine proof and evidence of things that have happened that would change the outcome then it is time to look at that evidence now,” he said.
