Trump: ‘Of course there is large scale voter fraud’

by Rebecca Savransky - 10/17/16 8:56 AM ET

Donald Trump on Monday claimed widespread voter fraud was taking place before Election Day, ramping up his charges that the presidential election is being rigged.

Trump also criticized Republicans who have not backed up his claims. A number of GOP officials, including Speaker Paul Ryan (Wis.), have said they are confident in the state election processes and safeguards.

{mosads}”Of course there is large scale voter fraud happening on and before election day,” the GOP nominee tweeted on Monday.

“Why do Republican leaders deny what is going on? So naive!”

Of course there is large scale voter fraud happening on and before election day. Why do Republican leaders deny what is going on? So naive!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 17, 2016

{mosads}In a subsequent tweet, Trump said voters need to “come together and win this election.”

“We can’t have four more years of Obama (or worse!),” he tweeted.

Trump has said the media is working with Hillary Clinton’s campaign to ensure a victory for the Democratic nominee.

On Sunday, he escalated his claims.

“The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary — but also at many polling places — SAD,” Trump tweeted Sunday.

His charges come after multiple women came forward to accuse the GOP nominee of past sexual misconduct — allegations Trump and his campaign have strongly and repeatedly denied.

Some of Trump’s surrogates on Sunday also raised the idea of election fraud.

“They leave dead people on the rolls, and then they pay people to vote those dead people four, five, six, seven, eight, nine times,” former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

He said dead people “generally vote for Democrats rather than Republicans.”

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich on Sunday called for voters to monitor election sites.

Trump has been trailing his Democratic rival in the polls recently. According to the RealClearPolitics average of polls, Clinton has a 6.3-point lead over Trump.

Tags Donald Trump Hillary Clinton Paul Ryan