NH Democratic Party accuses Sununu of perpetuating Trump’s voter fraud claims in inaugural address

(New Hampshire Primary Source is a regular feature of WMUR’s political coverage.)>> Download the FREE WMUR appDEMOCRATS SLAM SUNUNU ADDRESS. The state Democratic Party is reacting to Chris Sununu’s Thursday night inaugural address by criticizing the governor for not explicitly condemning President Donald Trump for his role in what many across the country agree incited the violence at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.The NHDP on Friday also accused Sununu of perpetuating Trump’s false claim of widespread voter fraud.The state Republican Party pushed back on the accusations, with its executive director accusing the Democrats of “unhinged, baseless attacks.” In his third inaugural address, Sununu praised the state’s election officials — including town moderators and polling place volunteers, as well as Secretary of State Bill Gardner and Attorney General Gordon MacDonald — for running the November election without major hitches. The state had a record high turnout of more than 800,000 voters.“Where others struggled, New Hampshire set the gold standard,” Sununu said. The governor in the speech made note of the “controversy we saw across the country surrounding the results, culminating in the tragic events that unfolded (Wednesday) in Washington.”Across the country, many states found their systems in turmoil, adding confusion and chaos to an already deepening public health crisis.” The NHDP charged Sununu’s comments “echoed Trump’s dangerous claims about election integrity,” which the party said led to the deadly riot.Trump has repeatedly charged that the election was rigged and was stolen from him. He repeated the claim Wednesday at a rally and urged his supporters to march to the Capitol, where Congress was formalizing the Electoral College votes.The NHDP, in its Friday statement, tried to tie Sununu to Trump — an approach it has taken for the past several years. The party said the “turmoil” in other states cited by Sununu “is the result of President Trump and all those who enable him — like Governor Sununu — and their deliberate attempt to undermine faith in our democracy.”“Sununu’s refusal to condemn Trump’s actions underscore that he is more worried about his political future than our country,” said NHDP Chair Raymond Buckley. “Not only is he refusing to call for Trump’s removal from office, like every other New England Republican governor has done, but he’s actually perpetuating Trump’s false claims of voter fraud. It’s hard to imagine a greater failure of leadership.”The other two Republican New England governors, Charlie Baker of Massachusetts and Phil Scott of Vermont, have called for Trump’s removal. They have long been harsh critics of Trump. NHGOP Executive Director Joe Sweeney pushed back on the Democrat’s accusations.“Not once did the governor ever say other elections had problems,” Sweeney said. He also said that President-elect Joe Biden “just came out against impeaching President Trump.”Biden on Friday declined to take a position on impeachment, saying, “What the Congress decides to do is for them to decide … I’m focused on my job.”Sweeney added, “On Thursday night, Granite Staters tuned in and saw an inspirational speech of hope and optimism by the governor. It’s unsurprising that Democrats will pursue unhinged, baseless attacks in search of a problem.”

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