The governor of the Massachusetts GOP, Charlie Baker, criticized President Donald Trump for not accepting Joe Biden as elected president on Tuesday, calling his actions “wildly inappropriate.
During a COVID-19 press conference, Baker told reporters that the president’s unfounded allegations of election fraud and refusal to allow the race made him “upset.
“I am dismayed by the unsubstantiated allegations made by the President and his team and many other Republican elected officials in Washington. I have been a Republican for 40 years…. But this latest move to appoint the Department of Justice is so wildly inappropriate,” he said.
Massachusetts (Republican) Governor Charlie Baker said that the Trump administrationâ€?s use of the Department of Justice is âwildly inappropriate,†and urged the Trump team to work with the Biden transition team immediately.
(Longer explanation, below.) pic.twitter.com/3VZ6DecotQ
– ðððð¶ðð¹ð®ð¿ð ð¦ð®ð¿ð’ð²ð “ð (@lilsarg) November 10, 2020
Baker referred to a recent authorization by Attorney General William Barr, which encourages the U.S. Attorney’s Office to investigate allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. The authorization prompted the Director of the Voter Crimes Division, Richard Pilger, to resign.
Baker went on to explain that Trump’s delaying an orderly transition of power during the spread of a deadly pandemic was dangerous.
“I can think of no worse time to delay a transition than in the middle of a deadly pandemic, for which the federal government remains primarily responsible,” he said.
The governor of Massachusetts said that if Trump had a legitimate reason to challenge the election results, he should do so in a court of law, adding, “I am not aware of any legitimate claims of wrongdoing that are even remotely close to the extent of what it would take to change this outcome.
“What this president is doing at this time is not in the best interest of this country. The administration must move forward immediately and work with the president-elect’s transition team,” he said.
Baker belongs to a group of Republicans who have either denounced the president’s refusal to yield or congratulated Biden and his vice president Kamala Harris on their election success.
But others have redoubled their efforts in defense of the president, creating a growing rift between the GOP and those loyal to Trump.
Although there was no substantial evidence of electoral fraud or irregularities during the election, a number of top GOP officials – including South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell – have defended Trump’s claims to challenge Biden’s victory.
“We will examine the system. We will accept the results of the court decisions and the total number of votes, but we will not stop,” Graham said.
On Tuesday, Biden Trump’s refusal to allow the race was called “an embarrassment,” but assured Americans that it would not stop him from moving to the White House in January.
Washington Newsday turned to the Trump campaign on the accusation of voter fraud, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
