The president of the United States is perpetuating another lie … allegedly.
This one involves the phony charge that as many as 5 million “illegal immigrants” cast ballots in the 2016 presidential election — all of them for Hillary Rodham Clinton.
It was those votes, Donald J. Trump insists, that cost him the popular vote margin over his challenger.
This is as ridiculous an assertion as anyone can hear from a newly sworn in president of the United States.
White House press spokesman said today — again! — that the president believes it to be true. He hasn’t cited a single provable fact to back any of it up. Trump hasn’t provided a scintilla of evidence of a single vote cast by someone who is in this country illegally.
But this is Trump’s modus operandi: You say something enough and you demonize the target of your falsehood sufficiently to provide a shadow of a doubt. Sound familiar? It should. It was the same kind of shameful/shameless tactic he used to keep alive the lie about President Barack Obama’s place of birth. To this day, polls are showing that most Republican voters actually believe the former president was not qualified constitutionally to hold the office he held for two successful terms. That is Trump’s work.
Here’s an idea for the president to consider.
Why not launch a Justice Department investigation to prove the claims the president is making. Heck, the president has the power to turn the DOJ hounds loose. He should do so. Now!
He’s got a pal running the FBI. James Comey’s letter to Congress casting doubt on those “damn e-mails” from Clinton while she was secretary of state is considered a possible turning point in the election outcome. Sic the FBI boss loose on this caper, Mr. President.
The president continues to make a mockery of our electoral process with this specious allegation about “millions of illegal immigrants” casting ballots.
Oh, wait! We also have that Russian hacking thing, too.
First things first. Either put up, Mr. President, or shut up!