UPDATE JANUARY 13, 2022:
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota has repeatedly made it clear that former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election in a fair process. But when he brought that message to a national audience this week (Jan. 9, 2022), he faced backlash from the former president. Rounds says he has no regrets, but he wishes more Republicans would join him in speaking out. He says the Republican party risks losing credibility and voters if Trump is allowed to undermine trust in the democratic process. Rounds has not yet seen intense backlash prompted by Trump’s statement, but there are some South Dakota Republicans who want to challenge incumbents like him.
JANUARY 11, 2022:
South Dakota US Senator Mike Rounds says he is “disappointed but not surprised” former President Donald Trump lashed out calling Rounds a “jerk” after Rounds said Trump lost the 2020 election while appearing on ABC’s “This Week” program over the weekend (Jan. 9, 2022).
Rounds says this isn’t new information. He says, “If we’re being honest, there was no evidence of widespread fraud that would have altered the results of the election. To that point, nearly all of my Senate Republican colleagues acknowledged this last January. During the electoral certification process, we did our due diligence and looked at the challenges made by the former president’s lawyers. Over 90 senators agreed that there was not enough evidence to overturn the results and, therefore, certified the election as our Constitution calls for.”
Rounds says if you look at the challenges the United States faces today– from inflation to the border crisis to Afghanistan– it’s clear the country is “in desperate need of responsible, conservative, disciplined leadership in the White House.”
Rounds says as a Republican Party, the focus should be on what lies ahead, not what’s in the past. He says elections are about growing support for your party, not further dividing it. “Attacking Republicans certainly isn’t going to result in a winning formula. Neither is telling citizens not to vote. If we are going to win in 2022 and 2024, we have to move forward together.”
Rounds says Vice President Mike Pence stood his ground, acknowledged President Biden’s victory and acted with integrity. He says “It’s time the rest of us do the same.”
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