Jim Acosta accuses Trump of lying, says there’s no proof of ‘widespread voter fraud’ with mail-in ballots

Over the last few weeks, President Trump has been railing against Democratic efforts to expand mail-in voting, arguing that the process allows for voter fraud.

“There is NO WAY (ZERO!) that Mail-In Ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent,” Trump said Tuesday morning. “Mail boxes will be robbed, ballots will be forged & even illegally printed out & fraudulently signed. The Governor of California is sending Ballots to millions of people, anyone living in the state, no matter who they are or how they got there, will get one. That will be followed up with professionals telling all of these people, many of whom have never even thought of voting before, how, and for whom, to vote. This will be a Rigged Election. No way!”

Later in the day, Twitter, for the first time ever, added their own link to the tweet that said, “Get the facts about mail-in ballots.” It also linked to information from CNN, the Washington Post, and others in an attempt to debunk Trump’s claim.

Democrats from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Michelle Obama have been calling for expanded mail-in voting by arguing it’s too dangerous for people to go to polling places during the coronavirus outbreak and suggesting that Republicans who oppose the move are racist and trying to stifle democracy.

House Democrats included $3.6 billion of funding for mail-in voting expansion in their most recent coronavirus relief proposal.

Republicans have cited concerns with the long list of documented voter fraud cases in the country over the last several years, as well as with reports that over 28 million mail-in ballots are unaccounted for over the last decade.

Tucker Carlson explained his belief on his Fox News show Tuesday night that the controversial method of “ballot harvesting” is ripe for fraud and has already been shown to be fraudulent.

“Harvesters can go to people’s homes — and they do in California, “ Carlson said. “They pressure them to vote or to vote the right way, or they help a person read through a ballot while nudging them on who to vote for,” Carlson claimed on his nightly program Tuesday. “We’re not saying that all of these methods of fraud are equally likely … but the point is this: Universal mail-in voting with ballot harvesting massively expands the potential for voter fraud.”

He said, “I don’t care what Twitter tells you. That’s true. It’s obvious. And by the way, it’s been documented. … It’s not a theoretical risk. Actual voter fraud has happened despite what they tell you all over the country.”

Earlier this month, Maryland election officials discovered mail-in ballots meant for an election in South Carolina, further incensing critics of mail-in voting.

“The media argues @realDonaldTrump has “no evidence” of mail-in ballot problems,” Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel responded. “Oh really? Look what just happened in SC, where Dems sued to force a rushed transition to mail with no safeguards. Their ballots magically appeared in Baltimore. How secure!”

Trump has threatened to intervene if states continue their mail-in voting push, warning Nevada last week that he has the ability to “hold up funds” to the state.

Former Vice President Joe Biden has openly endorsed increased mail-in voting, calling Trump’s concerns about the process “un-American.”