Republicans react to Trump’s claim of widespread voter fraud

GOP lawmakers are offering a wide range of reactions to President Trump’s allegation that millions of fraudulent votes were cast against him on Election Day.

Trump told a bipartisan group of lawmakers Monday night that 3 to 5 million fraudulent votes were cast, claiming that’s the only reason he lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton.

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) told reporters Tuesday that he’s “seen no evidence to that effect.”

But Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) contended that voter fraud is a “serious problem.”

{mosads}”I don’t know how widespread it was, but I know it’s real problem, persistent problem,” Cruz said.

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) told The Hill that Trump should be making a different argument to defend his popular vote loss.

Inhofe suggested Trump should say: “If we had had a popular vote standard, I would have still won because I wouldn’t have ignored California, some of New York.”

White House press secretary Sean Spicer reiterated at Tuesday’s briefing that Trump has long believed millions of illegal votes cost him the popular vote.

Watch the video above to hear the lawmakers in their own words.