Senator Lindsey Graham has still not congratulated President-elect Joe Biden after his election victory over President Donald Trump and instead continues to seek further legal action over controversial allegations of alleged mass election fraud.
In the hours after several news agencies, including Fox News and the Associated Press, declared that Biden had won the election, Graham issued a statement claiming that he had received an affidavit from a postal worker in the key state of Pennsylvania claiming that postal inspectors had a plan to “backdate the ballots sent after the election.
Graham said he would ask the Department of Justice and the U.S. Postal Service to investigate these allegations after receiving the accusations from Richard Hopkins, a postal worker in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that the Democrats “stole” the election and that there was widespread electoral fraud, although they have not presented any evidence. In the past, there have been only insignificant examples of election fraud.
Postal vote counting in Pennsylvania, a state that began counting only on election day and has a three-tier counting system to ensure accuracy and combat fraud, became a key issue this year as COVID-19 million more votes were mailed.
“It is imperative that all credible allegations of electoral irregularities and misconduct be investigated to ensure the integrity of the 2020 elections,” Graham said.
“Presidential elections are still imminent in several states, and as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, any credible allegations of election irregularities and misconduct will be taken seriously. I will not allow credible allegations of election irregularities or misconduct to be swept under the carpet.
“The extended use of postal voting makes the Post Office the administrator of the elections, not the local election officials. This change of mission requires further scrutiny to ensure that the system is above reproach.
“Every American should want our electoral processes to be correct, and with so many postal votes being held recently, this will require monitoring. The election results will not be determined by the media, but by authenticated, accurate vote counts.
“Officials in Pennsylvania should take the allegations of Mr. Hopkins and others seriously before confirming a final result.
Graham is one of a number of Republicans who have not congratulated Biden on his victory, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. According to the Washington Post, McConnell plans to say little in public about Biden’s victory until he sees how serious some of the legal challenges to his victory are.
“This is the way it has to work in our great country: Every legal vote should be counted. All illegally submitted ballots should not be counted. All sides must be able to observe the process. And the courts are here to apply the law and settle disputes,” McConnell tweeted on Friday.
“This is how the votes of Americans decide the outcome.”
Washington Newsday has asked the U.S. Postal Service for a comment….
