OHIO, USA — Following a speech delivered at the White House on Thursday by President Donald Trump, his first time speaking publicly since election night, we reached out to Ohio political leaders for response to remarks made by the President.
Much of President Trump's speech, which challenged everyone from pollsters to the media and made unverified claims of voter fraud, has been debunked by our VERIFY team.
Votes continue to be counted tonight in several key states, as Democratic nominee Joe Biden holds the lead in both the popular and electoral vote.
Ohio political leaders weighed in on the President's post-election speech in statements made following our request for comment.
CONGRESSMAN BOB LATTA (R)
“Here in Ohio, election night ran smoothly, and I commend Secretary of State LaRose for his leadership in ensuring that Ohioans can have faith in the election results. It’s important that Americans can trust that every legal vote is being counted. Transparency and election integrity are essential to our political system. If there are voting irregularities or examples of fraud, those should be adjudicated in court, so that the American people can have full confidence in the outcome.”
CONGRESSWOMAN MARCY KAPTUR (D)
"President Trump’s ill advised White House news conference will be remembered for its misinformation and careless disregard for democratic norms and principals. The President’s claims of vote fraud are baseless and reckless. Bipartisan teams of vote counters across America’s landscape deserve our respect for their selfless service not the ridicule and baseless attacks of a president who faces a political reckoning. In America we count the votes."
SENATOR ROB PORTMAN (R)
“Under our Constitution, state legislatures set the rules and states administer our elections. We should respect that process and ensure that all ballots cast in accordance with state laws are counted. It’s that simple. I hope we can reach a final resolution as quickly as possible.”
WTOL asked Sen. Portman for a response to comments made by the President tonight. The above statement that we received in response was the exact same words as a Tweet by the Senator yesterday, congratulating Trump on his victory in Ohio.
SENATOR SHERROD BROWN (D)
“We all knew the counting process was going to take longer than usual this year because of the once-in-a-lifetime pandemic and higher voter turnout. Counting votes and making sure every voice is heard is not fraud - it’s democracy at work. The President’s attacks on our democratic process are dangerous, but we will count every single vote.”
WTOL reached out to Gov. Mike DeWine for comment and did not receive a response back.
