Ronna McDaniel, former RNC chair, acknowledged there were “problems” with the 2020 election but said Joe Biden won fairly and is the legitimate president.
When pressed about a call she had with Michigan election officials urging them not to certify results, McDaniel said the officials only wanted an audit due to documented issues in Wayne County and that they were threatened and bullied into changing their vote.
NBC’s Kristen Welker said, “I want to turn now to your actions in the aftermath of the 2020 election. On November 17, you and Donald Trump were recorded pushing two Republican Michigan officials, election officials not to certify the results of the election and on the call you’re recorded as saying, ‘If you can go home tonight do not sign it. We will get you attorneys.’ Do you have regrets about that phone call in your?”
While McDaniel said Biden won legitimately, she maintained there were still “issues” in 2020, even though over 250 audits found no evidence of widespread fraud and Trump lost over 60 court cases challenging the results.
Welker pushed McDaniel on her responsibility as RNC chair to make clear the election was not “rigged” given the lack of evidence, to which McDaniel reiterated both Biden’s win and election issues could be true.
McDaniel said, “These two individuals went into a hearing. They voted no. They didn’t vote not to certify. They said, ‘we want an audit.’ There were some problems in Wayne County. They’ve been consistent. They’ve been well documented over subsequent elections. And they said as canvassers, ‘we think we should have an audit before we certify.’ That’s all they asked for.”
She added, “Once the public hearing opened, they were called. Such vicious names, such vile names, Family members are being threatened, that they changed their vote and they left shaken. And I did call them and say — And I think we should agree … Republicans and Democrats — nobody should be threatened or bullied or pushed to change a vote. And that’s what happened to them. And I want to finish by saying our call that night was to say are you okay? That’s my recollection. It was three and a half years ago. These are people I knew. I live in Wayne County. Are you okay? Are you all right? Vote your conscience. Not pushing them to do anything.”
Welker said, “Ultimately, there were 250 audits and they never found there was any corruption. Did you not have a responsibility as RNC chair to say before January 6, the election is not rigged that Donald Trump lost given that there were audits and given that there were more than 60 court cases that occurred all across the country and that Donald Trump lost.”
McDaniel said, “Joe Biden won. He’s the president. He’s the legitimate president. I have always said, and I continue to say, there were issues in 2020. I believe that both can be true.”
Welker asked, “Can you say as you sit here today, did Joe Biden win the election fair and square?”
McDaniel said, “He won, he’s the legitimate president, fair and square he won.”
She added, “I do think it’s fair to say there were problems in 2020.”
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