Sen. Schumer Calls On GOP Senators to Stand Up Against Trump Not Leaving if He Loses Election: ‘Democracy is at Stake’
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called on his Republican colleagues in the U.S. Senate to stand up to President Donald Trump who controversially refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he were to lose the coming general election.
“Where are our Republican colleagues?” Schumer asked after noting that Trump has publicly called for a ninth Supreme Court justice “before the election because the election will be before the Supreme Court.”
At issue is the president’s response to a question from Playboy’s Brian Karem, who asked the president, “Win, lose, or draw in this election…will you commit to making sure there’s a peaceful transferral of power after the election?” President Donald Trump replied, “we’re going to have to have to see what happens,” adding, “I’ve been complaining very strongly about the ballots and the ballots are a disaster.”
Karem followed up, “People are rioting. Do you commit to making sure that there’s a peaceful transferral of power?”
Trump refused to commit and instead said, “Get rid of the ballots, and you’ll have a very peaceful — there won’t be a transfer frankly. There will be a continuation. The ballots are out of control. You know it. And you know who knows it better than anybody else? Democrats know it better than anybody else.”
“This is not a partisan issue,” Schumer continued to say on the Senate floor. “Democracy is at stake and every constituent from every corner of the land, regardless of party or ideology, should be asking their Republican senators to speak out and demand that Donald Trump not be allowed to do what he says he’s going to do, and say they will join all of America in standing in the way if he tries.”
He then continued by citing a recent report in The Atlantic that suggested state-level Republicans are plotting a “nefarious scheme” that will “override the will of the voters in various states.” Coming out of Schumer’s speech, anchor Hallie Jackson noted that “Democrats pretty unanimously furious with this,” and adding that some Republicans have publicly come out in support for a peaceful transfer of power but none have mentioned Trump by name.
Watch above via MSNBC.
