Senate Homeland Security Committee to hold first hearing on 2020 election 'irregularities'
Chairman Ron Johnson says goal is to 'reduce the level of suspicion'
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The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is set to hold the first congressional hearing next week to examine the “irregularities” in the 2020 presidential election.
The hearing is set to take place Wednesday, Dec. 16.
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“I am mindful that many of the issues that have been raised have been, and will continue to be, appropriately resolved in the courts,” Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said in a statement upon announcing the hearing.
“But the fact remains that a large percentage of the American public does not view the 2020 election result as legitimate because of apparent irregularities that have not been fully examined,” Johnson continued. “That is not a sustainable state of affairs for our country.”
He added: “The only way to resolve suspicions is with full transparency and public awareness. That will be the goal of the hearing.”
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During an interview with Fox News, Johnson said that the committee is continuing to gather information and witnesses to discuss the irregularities, calling the hearing and the review of the election a “moving target” amid ongoing legal battles mounted by the Trump campaign in key states across the country.
“Some of these issues are being vetted in a court of law,” Johnson said. “The purpose of the hearing is to identify the major issues in the election.”
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He said his goal is “to hopefully reduce the level of suspicion.”
“The only way to restore confidence is to restore transparency,” Johnson said. “Asking questions, hopefully providing some answers, and identifying things that need to be tightened up.”
He added: “This isn’t just about this election. It’s about future elections.”
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The Trump campaign has filed lawsuits in a number of key battleground states where President-elect Joe Biden led by a razor-thin margin.
The Trump campaign has been alleging a widespread conspiracy to dump millions of illegal votes into the system but has not provided substantial evidence to support those claims. The campaign’s legal effort, led by Rudy Giuliani, has, in large part, been focused on Republican poll watchers being blocked from viewing vote counting at polling sites in some locations. Those claims have been dismissed by even Republican-appointed judges, who have said the cases lack evidence.
Election officials in those states, though, have certified Biden’s victory.
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Trump has not yet conceded to Biden despite allowing the formal transition process to begin, and he continues to blast election officials in multiple states while also claiming the 2020 presidential election was rigged.
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The Trump administration has said, though, that the 2020 election was the most secure ever.
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In addition, Attorney General William Barr publicly said that the Justice Department had not uncovered evidence of widespread voter fraud that could change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, despite claims by President Trump and his campaign’s legal team.
Barr, during an interview with the Associated Press last week, said that U.S. attorneys and FBI officials have been working to follow up on specific complaints and information they have received, but have not uncovered enough evidence that would change the outcome of the election.
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“To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have affected a different outcome in the election," Barr told the AP.