Trump would not recognize Biden if he wins the election 6:08
Editor's Note:
Joshua A. Douglas is Professor of Law at the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg School of Law.
He is the author of "Vote for US: How to Regain Our Elections and Change the Future of Voting".
Find him at http://www.joshuaadouglas.com and follow him on Twitter @JoshuaADouglas.
The opinions expressed in this comment are his.
See more opinion on CNNEE.
(CNN) -
In 2019, Kentucky Republican Gov. Matt Bevin had about 5,000 fewer votes than Democratic challenger Andy Beshear, out of a total of about 1.4 million votes cast.
But Bevin refused to concede victory, citing unspecific electoral "irregularities" without presenting any evidence.
Sounds familiar?
Bevin acknowledged defeat only after several prominent Republicans told him to present evidence of voter fraud or to acknowledge his defeat.
Although nothing is official until state election authorities certify the results, the Electoral College votes on December 14 and Congress counts those votes on January 6 and ongoing legal vote tabulation in several states suggests that Donald Trump has lost his candidacy for reelection.
The time has come for top Republicans like Senators Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham, as well as former President George W. Bush, to speak out.
They must demand that Trump end his dangerous language that casts doubt on the legitimacy of the election and, unless he has real proof, end his unfounded demands that only seek to further undermine people's faith in the outcome.
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McConnell's opening statement on Wednesday was too shy.
Although he agreed that election officials should count all votes, he did not condemn Trump's inflammatory rhetoric about going to the Supreme Court to stop the count.
This statement has no reality or fact or law.
McConnell declined to comment after Trump's incendiary press conference Thursday night, in which Trump made wild and unfounded allegations of election fraud, saying, "They're trying to steal an election, they're trying to rig an election and We can't - Don't let that happen.
Graham, from South Carolina, even backed Trump's lies.
Some Republicans distance themselves from Trump on allegations of voter fraud
Some Republicans have begun to distance themselves from Trump, but not in bold or unequivocal ways:
Former New Jersey Governor and Trump adviser Chris Christie simply said there was "no basis" to argue Tuesday night that Trump had won.
Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, without mentioning Trump by name, placidly tweeted: "The outcome of the presidential race will be known after all legally cast votes have been counted."
Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum said Trump's language at Thursday's press conference was "shocking," but did not completely discredit Trump's unfounded conspiracy theories, although he did at least say the president should provide evidence for his claims. .
Top Republicans Defend Trump Over Unfounded Voter Fraud Allegations As Party Concerns Rise
"We will try to have results today," says Georgia government 9:21
But that is not enough.
We need a strong and outright rebuke of this undermining of American democracy by Trump's most ardent supporters at the highest echelons of the Republican Party.
Of course, there is no legal requirement that a candidate recognize his victory.
As long as official vote totals are consistent with current trends and projections, former Vice President Joe Biden will assume the presidency on January 20, 2021, regardless of what Trump says.
But a concession could help the country move forward peacefully.
It could help Trump supporters recognize that he legitimately lost.
And it could renew people's faith in our electoral system.
That's what happened last year in Kentucky.
There was a week of political turmoil when some people raised the idea that Bevin would try to contest the election in the Republican-controlled legislature.
Bevin went on to allege "irregularities", suggesting that there were "thousands of absentee ballots that were illegally counted", voters "incorrectly rejected" and "a number of machines that did not function properly."
But he had no proof.
Later, two Bevin voters made unsubstantiated allegations of vote "piracy", again without evidence, although Bevin promoted the voters' press conference.
But then prominent Kentucky residents, as well as journalists and others, spoke, ultimately leading Bevin to back down.
The same must happen now.
Trump has signaled for months that he would not accept defeat.
He also said that in 2016.
But the situation is different now because, apparently, Trump has lost.
The question of whether he will agree to a peaceful transfer of power is now squarely before us.
It is not enough for Democrats to oppose Trump's delegitimizing language.
They have been doing it for years.
It is not enough for journalists or electoral law professors to explain why Trump's message is so dangerous.
Republicans must make a choice: How much do they value American democracy and the norms that should uphold it?
The longer they wait, the longer Trump can create chaos among his supporters.
The longer they wait, the more doubts he casts about the true winner of this election.
The longer you wait, the more fragile our institutions will become.
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