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(CNN) -
Top Republicans are defending President Donald Trump's unsubstantiated claims of election fraud and a rigged election, even as some Republicans in Congress have spoken out against the president's latest remarks.
Speaking from the White House on Thursday, the president repeated his false claims that a tally of legally cast ballots would show him winning the presidential race and said at one point: “This is a case where they are trying to steal an election.
They are trying to manipulate an election.
Some prominent Republicans, including members of the leadership of the House of Representatives and the Senate, endorsed the president after the speech.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of the president and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, defended Trump Thursday night and echoed his unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud.
"I'm here tonight to support President Trump," the South Carolina Republican, re-elected Tuesday, told Fox News' Sean Hannity.
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy of California did not respond to a request for comment from CNN, but in a Thursday night interview with Fox News' Laura Ingraham, similarly echoed the unfounded claims of alleged electoral fraud made by the president.
McCarthy warned Americans to be vigilant.
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Every American should stand up.
Whatever you see… tell us if you see anything wrong, ”McCarthy said.
Later he added: “Don't be silent about this.
We cannot allow this to happen before our very eyes.
There has been no credible evidence of widespread electoral fraud in the 2020 election contest.
Republicans speak out on allegations of voter fraud
Wyoming Senator John Barrasso, a member of the Senate Republican leadership, said in a statement: “As vote totals are updated, Americans deserve confidence in a fair and transparent election.
The president is right to ensure that all legally cast votes are reviewed and counted.
Other Republican leaders have remained silent until now after Trump's speech at the White House.
The office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell declined to comment with CNN on Trump's comments.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota, as well as Senators John Cornyn of Texas;
Roy Blunt, from Missouri;
Deb Fischer, from Nebraska;
Joni Ernst of Iowa and Todd Young of Indiana, all members of the Senate Republican Party leadership, did not respond to requests for comment from CNN.
House Republican Conference Speaker Liz Cheney has also not responded to requests for comment.
House Minority Leader Steve Scalise responded to a request for comment with a statement from spokeswoman Lauren Fine, saying: “Leader Scalise urges all states to enforce their laws fairly and equitably. ballots as written, and only count the ballots legally cast.
Americans deserve full transparency to be confident that their votes are being counted accurately. "
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Some Republicans are distancing themselves from Trump's fraud accusations
Several House and Senate Republicans have rejected Trump's unsubstantiated claims, though most without mentioning the president by name.
Texas Republican Rep. Will Hurd, who is retiring at the end of his current term, suggested the comments are "dangerous."
"A sitting president who undermines our political process and questions the legality of the voices of countless Americans, without evidence, is not only dangerous and wrong, but undermines the very foundation on which this nation was built," Hurd tweeted.
Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois tweeted, "This is freaking out" and said, "If you have legitimate concerns about fraud, please present EVIDENCE and take it to court."
Several other Republican lawmakers echoed the claim that evidence must be presented if it exists.
Michigan Republican Rep. Paul Mitchell, who will also be retiring at the end of this term, tweeted: “If anyone has evidence of wrongdoing, they should present it and resolve it.
Anything less damages the integrity of our elections and is dangerous for our democracy.
"If a candidate believes that a state is violating electoral laws, they have the right to challenge it in court and present evidence to support their claims," tweeted Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida.
“If irregularities are alleged, they will be investigated and finally resolved in court.
Have faith in democracy, in our Constitution and in the American people, ”Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah tweeted.
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But only a handful of congressional Republicans have spoken out in defense of Trump's cries of electoral fraud and calls to halt the countdown on his reelection race, drawing the ire of the president's sons, who tweeted their frustration and anger at this lack of support from elected Republicans.
Where is the Republican Party ?!
Our voters will never forget it… ”Eric Trump tweeted.
"The total inaction of virtually all '2024 GOP hopefuls' is quite surprising," complained Donald Trump Jr.
A few hours before the president's remarks at the White House on Thursday, Senator Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, had echoed Trump's message of the past few days, questioning whether the vote count was as transparent as it should be. being and saying he shared the president's concerns about mail-in ballots.
Some hope the campaign is over now
Behind the scenes, many Washington Republicans who support Trump, but outside the campaign infrastructure, increasingly hope that the process will conclude quickly and that the president will finally accept the results, even if the final count does not end in his favor. .
"I think it's broken, everyone is ready for this to end," said a Republican Party aide in the Senate.
A Republican aide in Congress raised questions about the president's claims of voter fraud: "I think it is difficult to make the argument that he is trying to make without actual cases of fraud to report."
Before the president's latest remarks, some Republican House and Senate leaders and rank-and-file members were sidestepping the controversial allegations, calling instead that all votes be counted in a statutory manner established separately by each of the 50 states. , with the backing of the Judiciary, if there are problems that need to be resolved.
"Taking days to count votes cast legally is NOT fraud," tweeted Marco Rubio, who says he is considering running for the White House in 2024.
"The courts will decide the disputes," McConnell said at a news conference on Wednesday when asked about the concerns.
This is how we do it in this country.
Having close and contested elections is not unusual.
When asked about Trump's calls to stop the count, Blunt told The Washington Post on Thursday that it should continue.
“I think we have to count all the votes legally cast.
I agree with the president if he thinks there is a reason in some states that ballots are being counted outside of what that state law allows, but I do not agree that he can stop the counting, "Blunt said.
Some of those who have publicly backed Trump argued largely that transparency is key in counting votes, but avoided a vigorous defense of Trump's accusations.
"We need transparency," Republican Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana tweeted.
"Federal law must ensure transparency in how votes are counted!" Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri tweeted.
“What the president wants to ensure is that all legal votes are counted.
People vote until election day, not the days after as others would have.
That's what the president means, ”McCarthy said at a news conference Wednesday.
“We want to make sure that it is legal, fair and that every legal vote is counted, and that is what we are working for.
But I don't think people should vote after the elections.
But other Republicans who jumped on the issue did so with dry statements designed to ensure that all votes are counted:
According to our Constitution, the state legislatures make the rules and the states administer our elections.
We must adhere to that process and ensure that all votes cast in accordance with state law are counted.
It's that easy.
I hope we can come to a final resolution as quickly as possible, "said Senator Rob Portman, a Republican from Ohio.
“As we await all the election results, I urge everyone to be patient.
Each state has different deadlines for receiving ballots and a process for counting those ballots, "said Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska.
“It is critical that we give election officials time to complete their work and that we ensure that all legally cast votes are allowed and counted.
The results will be known when all those votes are counted.
- CNN's Lauren Fox, Kevin Liptak, Ryan Nobles and Jim Acosta contributed to this report.
Elections 2020 United States