President-elect Donald Trump not only alleged widespread national voter fraud in a series of messages posted on Twitter on Sunday, but took the time in one tweet to target the ballots cast in California as an example of the problem.
Trump called the fraud “serious” in the state, along with Virginia and New Hampshire, and blamed media “bias” for the lack of coverage the allegations have received.
It was the first time the president-elect has specifically voiced concerns about voting in California. The tweet came in the wake of several days of criticism from both Trump and his advisors over an effort by the Green Party to force a recount of votes cast in Wisconsin and possibly Michigan and Pennsylvania.From California Secretary of State Alex Padilla:
"It appears that Mr. Trump is troubled by the fact that a growing majority of Americans did not vote for him. His unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud in California and elsewhere are absurd. His reckless tweets are inappropriate and unbecoming of a President-elect."Might there be random cases of improper voting in California and elsewhere? Yes, and when the authorities discover them, they should investigate. But it makes no sense to suggest massive fraud in California. First, there is no evidence for the claim. Second, it would not even make sense to commit such fraud. Before the election, Clinton was on track to win the state by a huge margin. Why on earth would anyone risk a felony prosecution to pad her margin in a state that she was going to carry anyway?
(Trump aide tried to rationalize his false claim by pointing to a 2014 essay in The Washington Post, but a headnote to the article points out that subsequent analysis has discredited it.)
