WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) issued the following statement after President Donald J. Trump suggested delaying the 2020 presidential election, making the outrageous and baseless claim that the election will be fraudulent and yet again falsely discrediting the security of mail-in ballots:
“There is no way that the president can legally delay the election. We shouldn't let him distract us from his incompetence in handling the COVID-19 pandemic. But the fact that he is even suggesting it is a serious, chilling attack on the democratic process. All members of Congress— and the administration— should speak out.
“As I said in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing with Secretary Pompeo, it has been bipartisan consensus in U.S. foreign policy for generations to promote democracy abroad and urge respect for the outcome of legitimate democratic elections. It is beyond the pale that the president would repeatedly and intentionally attack the integrity of American democracy for all to see. The president’s statements will have consequences that are profoundly negative and far-reaching. These statements should be immediately met with universal condemnation by all American leaders.”
