McConnell: No federal money for voter fraud probe

McConnell: No federal money for voter fraud probe
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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellMcConnell tells voters 'not to worry about your vote not counting' in November Moms are running on empty, but hungry for change Record deficit complicates GOP path to coronavirus relief MORE (R-Ky.) on Sunday said he doesn’t want to spend federal funds to investigate what President Trump claimed was massive voter fraud in the 2016 presidential election.

While McConnell says there is voter fraud, he doesn’t believe it’s as widespread as Trump claims or requires federal intervention. He says that cleaning up voter rolls is best left to the states.

“Election fraud does occur,” he told CNN’s “State of the Union.” But he added that “there’s no evidence that occurred in such a significant number that it would have changed the presidential election.”

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“I don’t think we ought to spend any federal money investigating that. I think the states can take a look at this issue. Many of them have tried to tighten their voter rolls, tried to purge people who are dead,” he added.

Trump claimed during a meeting at the White House with congressional leaders earlier this month that he lost the popular vote to Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonLargest police union endorses Trump for reelection Trump skewers Biden, suggests again supporters vote twice in Pennsylvania Biden seeks somber contrast to Trump in Kenosha MORE because of 3 million to 5 million votes by illegal immigrants.

The president announced on Jan. 25 that he would ask for “a major investigation” into voter fraud, including a review of people who are registered to vote in two states and people who are deceased but still on voter rolls.

Republican leaders who were gathered at the annual Republican retreat in Philadelphia when Trump made his announcement said they saw no evidence of voter fraud on the scale claimed by Trump.