LTE: Now even YOU know it's a lie

Editor, Gettysburg Times,

The “Big Steal” was always an idiotic idea. The idea that 50 state secretaries of state, thousands of local and state election officials, and virtually the entire federal judiciary, violated their oaths to elect a man most of them opposed, was always ridiculous.

But it was always possible that the Republican officials who allowed this lie to run rampant – including Trump – might at least have believed it. I’d rather take “gullible fool” over “deliberate deceiver.”

But after only two days of January 6 committee hearings, there’s no more benefit of the doubt. We now know that Trump’s campaign manager, his attorney general, his senior campaign staff, his daughter, his numbers people, the leading GOP elections lawyer – pretty much everyone – immediately knew AND TOLD TRUMP that he had lost, badly. This isn’t the New York Times or CNN – this is the campaign officials themselves, telling the committee what they knew and what they told Trump. And what they said was “these claims are absurd.”

The number of people who seem not to have warned Trump – who at least pretended they believed the lie and who egged him on – now appears to be a pretty small number of clowns: Giuliani, Navarro, Powell, Flynn, Mike Lindel, Ginny Thomas – and Doug Mastriano and Scott Perry. That’s right, the very small group that is largely responsible for bringing American democracy to its knees, includes two local politicians.

The spurious claims of election fraud have resulted in death threats, and in new laws making it easier to intimidate voters or discard votes and legislatively select the winner.

Our GOP gubernatorial candidate – one of the small group culpable for perpetuating this lie – is now using this lie to justify his intention to tear Pennsylvania’s election system down to the foundation and in essence has promised to appoint a partisan secretary of state who will never certify the election of a Democrat.

Republicans, now that your claims about the “Big Steal” have proven to be ridiculous lies, it’s time to step back from the brink. When you hit rock bottom, stop digging. Doug Mastriano and Scott Perry owe us explanations: did you actually believe this nonsense? Or are you that comfortable lying to us?

Leon Reed,
Gettysburg

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