Chuck Todd
Charles (Chuck) David ToddSenators, experts trust Russia behind the cyberattack despite Trump’s skepticism Generally appointed surgeon says UK’s most contagious viral strain doesn’t seem to be more deadly Omar accuses Trump of “dangerous criminal negligence” in the response COVID-19 MORE NBC’s “Meet the Press” criticized Sen. Ron Johnson
Ronald (Ron) Harold JohnsonSenate Democrats berate colleagues from the Republican Party who say they will oppose the results of the Electoral College on Sunday. government continues to implant coronavirus vaccine 11 Senate Republicans say they will oppose the results of the Electoral College on Wednesday MORE during an interview on Sunday about the Wisconsin Republican’s decision to join other Republican senators in contesting the presidential election in several states, saying, “You’re the arsonist here.”
“You and your colleagues created this controversy,” Todd told Johnson the day after 11 Republican senators in a letter announced they would contest the results, which will lead to a debate and vote in the House and Senate on Wednesday.
Senators acted after a series of courts rejected Trump’s campaign challenges to the results. The campaign argued that major electoral fraud was responsible for President Trump
Donald Trump’s court rejects Gohmert’s electoral lawsuit against Pence Kentucky Governor calls McConnell’s house vandalism ‘unacceptable’ Pence ‘welcomes’ efforts by lawmakers to ‘raise objections’ to Electoral College results MOREdefeat for president-elect Joe Biden
Joe BidenAppeals court rejects Gohmert’s electoral lawsuit against Pence Romney: Plan to challenge the ‘blatant ploy’ election that ‘dangerously threatens’ the Pence country’ welcomes’ lawmakers’ efforts to ‘raise objections’ to the results of the Electoral College, but failed to provide evidence to support these allegations, court after court concluded.
“We are now trapped in a vicious destructive circle … You have made a claim that there has been widespread fraud. You have not provided specific evidence for this widespread fraud. But you are demanding an investigation on the grounds that there are allegations of widespread fraud,” said Todd to Johnson, who is running for re-election in 2022 in a state where Biden narrowly defeated Trump.
Johnson is the only Republican senator to announce a challenge to the election results that represents a state that Biden won.
“So, essentially, you are the arsonist here,” said Todd, adding that Johnson did not “have the courage to tell the truth to admit that this election was fair.”
Johnson contested Todd’s claim, saying that “the fire” started when “the mainstream media abandoned any pretense of being impartial and really chose a side during this election”.
“I didn’t start it,” Johnson added, accusing the media of ignoring “our investigation of Hunter Biden.”
TO WATCH: @chucktodd for @senronjohnson: “You have made a claim that there was widespread fraud, you have not provided specific evidence of that widespread fraud, but you are demanding an investigation into … allegations of widespread fraud.”
“Essentially, you are the arsonist here.” pic.twitter.com/PtZMSPoWtu
– Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) January 3, 2021
In the statement released on Saturday, the 11 Republican senators said that Congress “should immediately appoint an Electoral Commission, with full investigative and fact-finding authority, to conduct a 10-day emergency audit of election results in disputed states.”
“Once completed, individual states would evaluate the Commission’s findings and could convene a special legislative session to certify a change in their vote, if necessary,” said the senators.
Johnson, the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, held several hearings related to electoral fraud and other alleged irregularities in the election.
“You spent … a lot of your time carrying a lot of this crazy, conspiratorial water for President Trump,” said Todd. “I’m just trying to understand here. Why are you doing this? … Are you simply trying to get favors from the president’s constituents? … Is that just a cynical political ploy?”
Johnson replied that he is “trying to be transparent” and listed the cases of “people voting twice” in Nevada as evidence of fraud.
“Just because you have someone saying that doesn’t mean it’s true,” Todd interrupted again. “Stop … You cannot make these claims that none of them have been proven true.”