The New York Times editorial board called on Republican leaders to reject the "reckless rhetoric" of Donald Trump, primarily his claim the election is rigged.
"Instead of disavowing this absurdity outright, Republican leaders sit by in spineless silence. Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, and Paul Ryan, the speaker of the House, are the two most powerful Republicans in the country and should be willing to put the national interest above their own," the board wrote.
"How can Mr. McConnell and Mr. Ryan continue to stand by while Mr. Trump delegitimizes the system to which they have dedicated themselves?"
A spokeswoman for Ryan issued one "tepid response" to the accusations, the board said, which said the speaker was "fully confident the states will carry out this election with integrity."
"This is like standing back while an arsonist pours gasoline all over your house, then expressing confidence that the fire department will get there in time," the newspaper said.
The board blasted Ryan and McConnell's lack of action against Trump's claims, saying, "Mr. Ryan and Mr. McConnell could hardly dishonor themselves more than they already have in this sordid election year, but their refusal to stand up to Mr. Trump's pernicious lie may be their lowest moment yet."
Trump supporters, including Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, have ramped up the claims of fraud, and the Times editorial said Republicans must reject those claims.
"That will take work, since the specter of fraud, inevitably tinged with racist overtones, has long been a rallying cry among Republicans."
The difference this year is that a GOP candidate has never encouraged such claims as fervently as Trump. "His claims are never backed up by any evidence, but they're still working," the board said, pointing to a Pew Research poll in which only one-third of Trump supporters believe the vote will be counted correctly.
The Times also pointed to a Trump supporter who told the Boston Globe that he would watch the polls for fraud. "It's called racial profiling. Mexicans. Syrians. People who can't speak American. I'm going to go right up behind them. I'll do everything legally. I want to see if they are accountable. I'm not going to do anything illegal. I'm going to make them a little bit nervous," the Trump supporter said.
"The integrity of the ballot box is central to American democracy and to the peaceful transfer of power. Mr. Trump may have no qualms about destroying that idea and inflicting harm on the country long after this election is over," says the Times.
Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said his comments were referring to the media being bias against the real estate mogul, but the Times says her claim was "demonstrably false."
Columnist George Will agreed with the fraud assertions, saying, "Mr. Trump has a point if he would make it more clearly."
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