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July 31, 2020

Donald Trump Suggests Election Delay, Sparking Bipartisan Outrage
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Back in the United States, President Trump is facing bipartisan outrage
after suggesting delaying the November election. Trump floated the idea
Thursday morning at a time when nearly all polls project he will lose
against Joe Biden in November. Trump tweeted, "With Universal Mail-In
Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most
INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great
embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly,
securely and safely vote???"

Voting experts say there is no evidence to back up Trump's claim. Five
states already conduct voting almost entirely by mail: Colorado, Hawaii,
Oregon, Washington and Utah. The president also does not have the
constitutional power to postpone an election - only Congress does.
However, during a congressional hearing on Thursday, Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo claimed the Justice Department can make that determination.
Pompeo was questioned by Democratic Senator Tim Kaine. 

Sen. Tim Kaine "Can a president delay a presidential election?"

Mike Pompeo "Senator, the Department of Justice and others will make
that legal determination. We all should want - and I know you do too,
Senator Kaine - want to make sure we have an election that everyone is
confident in, that's not only for -"

Sen. Tim Kaine "Are you indifferent to the date of the election?"

Mike Pompeo "It should happen lawfully."

Sen. Tim Kaine "Right."

Mike Pompeo "Yeah."

Even many Trump supporters have condemned the president's call to delay
the election. Steven Calabresi of the arch-conservative Federalist
Society wrote in a New York Times op-ed, "This latest tweet is fascistic
and is itself grounds for the president's immediate impeachment again by
the House of Representatives and his removal from office by the Senate."


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