President Trump has reportedly criticized his Press Secretary for not wearing a dark suit. However, this seems to be the least of the spokesman\u2019s challenges.<\/p>\n
After scolding the White House press pool for not propagating Trumpian falsehoods, Sean Spicer tried to \u201cmake nice\u201d on Monday and Tuesday.\u00a0He even wore a dark suit!<\/em><\/p>\n Still obsessing over a three million popular vote loss, President Trump had again raised his bogus claim that he really won<\/em> the popular vote, but that three to five million \u201cillegals\u201d had voted.<\/em><\/p>\n Explaining that this is a long-held belief of President Trump, Sean Spicer grossly misrepresented the PEW study which he claimed concluded that 14% of people who voted were not citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n When President Trump made this bogus claim back in November, David Becker,who directed the research for the Pew report, tweeted:<\/p>\n As primary author of the report the Trump camp cited today, I can confirm that report made no findings re: voter fraud. \u00a0We found millions of out of date registration records due to people moving or dying, but found no evidence that voter fraud resulted.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Spicer faced an incredulous press pool which wasn\u2019t buying it.\u00a0Why, they asked, wasn’t the president demanding an investigation if he really believed it? \u00a0A possibility, Spicer replied, but felt that President Trump was quite comfortable with his electoral college win.<\/p>\n Apparently not so much!<\/em>\u00a0 On Wednesday (January 25) came a new presidential tweet:<\/p>\n I will be asking for a major investigation into VOTER FRAUD, including those registered to vote in two states, those who are illegal and….even, those registered to vote who are dead (and many for a long time). Depending on results, we will strengthen up voting procedures!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan refuses President Trump\u2019s baseless assertion<\/em>, stating \u201cI\u2019ve seen no evidence to that effect. I\u2019ve made that very, very clear.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The Wall Street Journal<\/em>\u00a0(January 26, 2017 update) also challenged the validity of the claim:<\/p>\n President Donald Trump plans to take executive action on Thursday to advance his call this week for a major investigation into his unsubstantiated and widely discredited assertion that the 2016 election featured extensive voter fraud.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n So why is the president repeating a lie? For the same reason he lied about President Obama\u2019s birth certificate. Lies work!<\/strong><\/p>\n As of last summer, seventy-two percent of registered Republican voters<\/em> still doubted President Obama’s citizenship as a result of the constant recitation of false information. \u00a0Finally, Trump declared the notion false, and blamed Hillary Clinton for the baseless rumor.<\/p>\n When President Trump falsely asserted to Congressional leaders that undocumented immigrants cast three million popular votes, he was pursuing his negative propaganda campaign, as he continues to accuse the undocumented of not merely being rapists and murderers, but\u00a0now illegal voters.<\/strong><\/p>\n So keep those suits cleaned and pressed, Sean. It will soon be time to again “suit up” for the dark world of “alternative facts.” \u00a0Your mission has only begun.<\/em><\/p>\n Video produced by The Wall Street Journal<\/span><\/p>\n\n
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