Some Republican lawmakers back Trump's election-fraud claims because they're afraid of being attacked by violent Trump supporters, colleague says
- A Republican lawmaker says some of his colleagues supported President Donald Trump's election-fraud claims solely because they feared violent reprisals from the president's hardline supporters.
- Multiple Republican sources told Politico that fear was acute among the Republicans in pro-Trump districts who voted last week to certify President-elect Joe Biden's victory.
- Newly elected GOP Rep. Peter Meijer said many "knew in their heart of hearts that they should've voted to certify, but some had legitimate concerns about the safety of their families."
A Republican lawmaker says some of his colleagues backed President Donald Trump's election-fraud conspiracy theories solely because they feared violent reprisals from hardline supporters of the president.
Multiple Republicans told Politico that there was enhanced fear among GOP lawmakers who live in areas with widespread support for the president.
Many returned home to find that their constituents backed the riot by hardline Trump supporters that engulfed the Capitol last week and led to five deaths.
Newly elected Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan, in an interview with Reason.com last week that was cited by Politico, said that some of his colleagues were acting out of fear by opposing the certification of President-elect Joe Biden's victory.
He said he "had colleagues who, when it came time to recognize reality and vote to certify Arizona and Pennsylvania in the Electoral College, they knew in their heart of hearts that they should've voted to certify, but some had legitimate concerns about the safety of their families. They felt that that vote would put their families in danger."
As Trump has pursued his groundless claims that the election was stolen from him by mass fraud, Republican lawmakers and state officials who refused to back him have been harassed and threatened by his supporters.
In Georgia, a top state election official, Gabriel Sterling, warned on December 2 that the president's rhetoric was "inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence" and that "someone's going to get hurt, someone's going to get shot, someone's going to get killed."
A Pennsylvania state GOP official told The New York Times on December 9 that if she didn't back Trump's election fraud clams, "I'd get my house bombed tonight."
"Both parties have extremists," a GOP lawmaker told Politico.
"There's a difference in our crazy people and their crazy people. Our crazy people have an excessive amount of arms. They have gun safes. They have grenades. They believe in the Second Amendment. They come here and Trump's made them think this is the Alamo."