‘What DO You Support?!’ Jake Tapper Tussles With GOP Senator in Debate on Election Reform Bills

CNN’s Jake Tapper mixed it up with Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) over Republican opposition to a pair of election reform bills making their way through the House and Senate.

In a debate on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday, the anchor pointed to legislation in Texas and Georgia which did not pass, but in Tapper’s estimation “seemed to really have ill intent.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Cassidy replied. “This proves the system works.”

Tapper then noted Republicans being unanimously opposed to the current bills on the table on Capitol Hill and asked the senator about the possibility of an alternative.

“I get you don’t support the Democrats’ legislation. Let’s talk about another path forward,” Tapper said. “What DO you support?! In order to secure our elections — to make sure there isn’t any fraud, but also they’re free and safe and that the efforts to disenfranchise that we saw in 2020 are not successful?”

Cassidy responded with a defense of the status quo.

“I think we are seeing the success of state and local government in protecting the election,” Cassidy said. “They’ve been doing it for over 200 years. We’ve also seen that the federal courts were incredibly active in making sure that suits were heard in a timely fashion, and challenges were considered. And by the way, they ruled in the right direction every time. And these were Trump-appointed judges in many cases.”

Cassidy argued that former President Donald Trump’s effort to install “tougher and smarter” election supervisors would not not impact any final outcomes.

“They don’t count the vote,” he declared. “It’s not some back room where you can either toss it out or keep it. It’s a public process in which both sides are represented, and there’s votes counted. So those who think there’s a back room, and you vote for the counter, it’s just not true.”

Cassidy added, “I can imagine a campaign slogan, ‘Vote for me, I’m gonna cheat in the election.’ We should not underestimate the American people. The American people are not going to vote for a cheat. If someone says I’m voting because I want to flip an election, they’re going to lose their election.”

Watch above, via CNN.