ROUNDUP: THE BIG LIE TIGHTENS ITS GRASP ON THE “TRUMP PRIMARY”

Dave White wants a sham “audit” of the 2020 presidential election. Lou Barletta and Charlie Gerow’s fraudulent electoral college certificates come to light. Doug Mastriano compares Jan. 6 insurrectionists to “political prisoners” — in other words, it’s just another week for the far-right candidates of the “Trump primary.”

PENNSYLVANIA — It’s been another busy week for the “Super MAGA” primary candidates as they’ve ramped up their attacks on each other to prove their MAGA bonafides and doubled down on the Big Lie to earn Trump’s support. While Dave White endorsed Trump’s calls for a sham “audit” of the 2020 presidential election, Lou Barletta and Charlie Gerow stole his thunder, sparking outrage as their signing of fraudulent electoral college certificates on behalf of Trump (after President Biden won) came to light. In a surprise to no one though, Doug Mastriano took home the gold medal for conspiracy theorist of the week when he went on OANN and compared Jan. 6 insurrectionists to “political prisoners.”

Let’s take a look at some of this week’s Biggest Lies that spread through the crowded, far-right field:

Dave White endorses a sham “audit” of the 2020 presidential election

At an event this week, Dave White was asked if he supports President Trump’s calls for an audit of the 2020 Presidential election. His answer: “Certainly.” White went on to attack Harrisburg Republicans for failing to deliver, saying “If they could have, they would have done it. Now we’re going on two years now since the presidential election. And again, that’s the problem with people that are elected in Harrisburg.” He also took a moment to attack state Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman and state Senators Doug Mastriano and Scott Martin, saying, “These guys voted for Act 77, three senators running for governor. They screwed up.”

Lou Barletta and Charlie Gerow spark outrage with their fraudulent electoral college certificates

President Joe Biden freely and fairly won Pennsylvania, and won the 2020 presidential election — a reality the many GOP candidates of the “Trump primary” still refuse to accept. While Pennsylvanians’ voices were loud and clear, Lou Barletta and Charlie Gerow apparently didn’t care. Instead, Barletta and Gerow focused on undermining our democracy, and on December 14, 2020, joined GOP state and county officials in falsely claiming that Donald Trump and Mike Pence won Pennsylvania’s electoral votes. Yesterday, Columnist Will Bunch called them out in the Philadelphia Inquirer, saying, “There must be consequences for the people who actually thought this scheme could work in the 2020 contest, or else democracy may be murdered in broad daylight on or about Jan. 6, 2025.”

Doug Mastriano compares Jan. 6 insurrectionists to “political prisoners”

Doug Mastriano went on OANN to champion Trump’s Big Lie — which is no surprise for the MAGA conspiracy theorist — but Mastriano took it a step further, comparing insurrectionists to political prisoners, saying, “it sure sounds like we do have political prisoners in America.”

Honorable mentions this week include: 

  • Jake Corman making his way through the far-right media circuit, championing the Big Lie on both Steve Bannon’s War Room (again) and The Gateway Pundit. 
  • John Ventre saying, “No, Joe Biden is not the legitimate president,” at the second Republican primary debate for Governor in New Castle to raucous applause.
  • Bill McSwain, once again, getting attention for his desperate letter to Donald Trump begging for his endorsement and claiming he wasn’t allowed to investigate the (nonexistent) voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

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