Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) described the actions of his Republican colleagues in much starker terms than most Democrats have thus far during a speech on Friday, painting their refusal to accept President Donald Trump’s defeat not as a mere political stunt but as “the most serious attempt to overthrow our democracy in the history of our country.”
“Those who are pushing to make Donald Trump President for a second term, no matter the outcome of the election, are engaged in a treachery against their nation,” he said from the Senate floor.
“You cannot at the same time love America but hate democracy,” he continued. “But as we speak, a whole lot of flag-waving Republicans are nakedly trying to invalidate millions of legitimate votes because that is the only way they can make Donald Trump President again.”
“Right now, the most serious attempt to overthrow our democracy in the history of our of country is underway.
Those who are pushing to make Donald Trump President, no matter the outcome of the election, are engaged in a treachery against their nation.” pic.twitter.com/FE7K91nlSD
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) December 11, 2020
In a follow-up interview, Murphy told the Washington Post’s Greg Sargent that he is acutely fearful that if Republicans’ actions become any more normalized than they already have been, they “will steal an election two years from now or four years from now.”
Trump’s grip on his party, and the infectiousness of his conspiracy-mongering, has become startlingly evident since President-elect Joe Biden was declared the winner a month ago. Few elected Republicans have been brave enough to denounce Trump’s conspiratorial ramblings, much less to acknowledge that Biden won the election fairly.
The Trump campaign — in conjunction with its orbit of celebrity lawyers and loyal Republican officials — has launched one frivolous lawsuit after another in an attempt to overturn the results of the election. Almost all were laughed out of court, particularly those seeking to toss thousands of legal ballots on the basis of fabricated voter fraud allegations.
But still, the conviction within Republican circles that the election was stolen has seemed to grow stronger, even in the face of such consistent legal defeat. According to a Quinnipiac poll released Thursday, 77 percent of Republicans believe that there was widespread voter fraud despite an utter lack of proof.
“Democracies are really fragile things,” Murphy warned. “Ours only continues because we make choices so that it can remain.”
