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US President Donald Trump
Photo: OLIVIER DOULIERY / AFP
According to FBI chief Christopher Wray, there has been no large-scale electoral fraud in the United States.
"We have not seen any kind of coordinated attempts at electoral fraud at the national level in the past," Wray said at a hearing in the US Senate on Thursday - neither in postal votes nor otherwise.
In no way should his statements be construed as implying that the FBI was responsible for investigating such incidents or downplaying the potential impact: "From time to time we have seen election fraud at the local level."
The FBI is vigilant with the November 3rd election and is closely monitoring the situation, he said.
The federal police warned in a statement on Thursday of criminal offenses in connection with the election and named, among other things, the double voting.
Because of the corona pandemic, it is expected that significantly more voters will vote by letter in the upcoming presidential and congressional elections.
With this in mind, US President Donald Trump repeatedly warns of fraud, but does not provide any conclusive evidence.
Experts and those responsible for elections deny that the election documents sent by post drastically increased the risk of election fraud.
The US Democrats fear that Trump's warnings will pave the way to question the outcome in the event of defeat.
This Thursday, Trump again raised doubts about the outcome of the election: "We have to make sure that the election is honest. But I don't know whether it can be."
On Wednesday he even refused to guarantee a peaceful transfer of power after the election.
"We have to wait and see what happens," he said at a press conference in the White House.
His Democratic challenger Joe Biden was shocked at his first reaction to Trump's remarks: "He says the most irrational things. I don't know what to say."
Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized Trump's statement on Twitter.
The president is not a dictator and America will not allow him to be one.
Clear words from the political opponent - and from your own party
House spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi commented on the process: She has confidence in the American people to bring about a clear result in November.
"That the President of the United States would question the idea of a peaceful transfer of power, well, that's no surprise," she said.
"The peaceful transfer of power is fundamental to democracy; without that there is Belarus."
Mitt Romney, Senator for Utah
Senator Mitt Romney, one of Trump's harshest Republican critics, wrote on Twitter: "Peaceful change of power is fundamental to democracy; without that Belarus exists. Any suggestion that a president might not respect this constitutional guarantee, is both unthinkable and unacceptable. "
After Trump's unclear statements about the handover in the event of an election defeat, the White House sought clarification later on Thursday.
"The president will accept the results of a free and fair election," said spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany.
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