(This post may contain disputed claims. We make no assertions as to the validity of the information presented by our Opinion Columnist. We are an opinion blog, not a traditional news outlet, and this post should be treated as such. Enjoy.)Paul Ryan has called on President Donald Trump to concede the election, accusing his lawyers of nasty allegations, but Trump’s legal team wasn’t having any of it. Don’t miss this.
On Tuesday, Former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan was speaking at the Bank of America’s virtual European Credit Conference, where he made remarks about President Donald Trump contesting the 2020 presidential election results and what he felt should happen as we move forward.
The Wisconsin Republican called on President Trump to concede the election and even accused Trump’s lawyers of spreading “baseless conspiracy theories” without evidence to continue their challenges to the election results, The Blaze reported.
“I think maybe even more important is that these legal challenges to the outcome and the attacks on our voting system really need to stop, in my opinion,” Ryan said, according to Politico. “The outcome will not be changed, and it will only serve to undermine our faith in our system of government, our faith in our democracy.”
Ryan, who was the GOP vice presidential nominee in 2012, went on to criticize the president’s legal team for the accusations they made about massive voter fraud in the election. “I know firsthand what it’s like to lose a national election, and it is a terrible feeling. It is not pleasant, and I know there are a lot of people in this country who are really disappointed,” he said.
“But, I think it’s really important that we’re clear about this, which is the mere fact that the president’s lawyers throw these sort of baseless conspiracy theories out at press conferences but offer no evidence of these in court tells you that there is not the kind of widespread voter fraud or systemic voter fraud that would be required to overturn the outcome of this election,” Ryan continued.
“So, the election is over,” Ryan declared. “The outcome is certain, and I really think the orderly transfer of power — that is one of the most uniquely fundamental American components of our political system. And, I think it’s really important that we respect that, we respect the will of the people,” he added.
“If we don’t, we end up doing damage to our country, to our democratic institutions and norms, and to the cause of freedom,” Ryan warned before reiterating that he felt it was “in the president’s best interest to acknowledge these things” and encouraging Trump to not only facilitate but “to embrace the transfer of power.”
Of course, Trump’s legal team had a much different idea and didn’t waste any time responding. “As President Trump would say… Don’t be a cutie pie, Paul Ryan,” Jenna Ellis — a constitutional law attorney, senior legal adviser for the Trump team, and counsel to President Trump — wrote, adding her own mockery as she retweeted a dismissive message from pro-Trump entertainers “Diamond and Silk.”
As President Trump would say… Don’t be a cutie pie, Paul Ryan.
COUNT ALL LEGAL VOTES! https://t.co/DcV8m8uMLl
— Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisEsq) November 24, 2020
“COUNT ALL LEGAL VOTES!” Ellis added.
It’s worth noting that Paul Ryan’s remarks came a little late. Monday — the day before the Former Speaker of the House made his comments — the government office in charge of the presidential transition process sent a letter to former Vice President Joe Biden, confirming that the process could begin.
And, Trump even expressed his support for it, which was covered on Fox News by Laura Ingraham:
Although President Trump said the legal challenges would continue, he tweeted soon after the letter was sent, signaling his support for the Biden transition to begin. Ryan failed to mention that in his comments, though.
…fight, and I believe we will prevail! Nevertheless, in the best interest of our Country, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 23, 2020
“I want to thank Emily Murphy at GSA [General Services Administration] for her steadfast dedication and loyalty to our Country. She has been harassed, threatened, and abused – and I do not want to see this happen to her, her family, or employees of GSA,” Trump tweeted.
“Our case STRONGLY continues, we will keep up the good fight, and I believe we will prevail!” Trump added in a second tweet. “Nevertheless, in the best interest of our Country, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same.”
All of this was said and done on Monday, so why was Paul Ryan seemingly ignoring those facts and letting them out of the remarks he made on Tuesday? I’ll let you draw your own conclusions about that. But, I will say this, many Americans haven’t accepted the results. They have questions.
Don’t those questions deserve to be answered without a doubt? If we have any hopes of uniting as a country, I think they do need to be addressed and investigated — to the fullest extent of the law.
