McConnell: ‘Every legal vote’ should count

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Friday called for “every legal vote” to be counted and said, “all sides must get to observe the process.”

“Here’s how this must work in our great country: Every legal vote should be counted. Any illegally-submitted ballots must not. All sides must get to observe the process. And the courts are here to apply the laws & resolve disputes. That’s how Americans’ votes decide the result,” McConnell tweeted.

The remarks could be read as McConnell throwing some support to President Trump, though McConnell stopped far short of making claims about fraud that Trump has repeatedly stated on Twitter and in remarks at a White House briefing.

Trump’s family members have pressured Republican office holders, including McConnell, to stand up over the issue.

But McConnell’s remarks mostly stuck to the safer line, that legally filed ballots should be counted. 

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) earlier on Friday pushed back on Trump’s claims of cheating in Pennsylvania.

“I saw the president’s speech last night and it was very hard to watch. The president’s allegations … are just not substantiated,” he told Savannah Guthrie on NBC’s “Today” show.

Toomey announced last month that he will not seek reelection in 2022. 

Trump on Thursday evening accused Pennsylvania election officials of counting ballots received after Election Day without postmarks or identification and alleged Michigan election officials were “duplicating ballots.”