Republican Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt said Wednesday that “bad actors” are “lying” about claims of voter fraud in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
“I realize a lot of people are happy about this election, and a lot of people are not happy about this election. One thing I can’t comprehend is how hungry people are to consume lies and to consume information that is not true,” Schmidt said on CNN’s “New Day.” (RELATED: Texas Lt Gov Offers Up To $1 Million For Evidence Of Voter Fraud)
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“I realize a lot of people are happy about this election, and a lot of people are not happy… one thing I can’t comprehend is how hungry people are to consume lies and to consume information that is not true.”
– Phila. City @Commish_Schmidt on claims of widespread voter fraud pic.twitter.com/XoweYxMUQO
— New Day (@NewDay) November 11, 2020
“I think people should be mindful that there are bad actors who are lying to them,” he continued. “And they need to turn to people that they trust and to sources of information that they trust and not rumors and not nonsense included in the lawsuits or anything else like that, to make sure that they have confidence in this system and that their vote, regardless of who they voted for, is going to be counted.”
Schmidt said that Philadelphia has about 18,000 mail-in ballots left to count and about the same number of provisional ballots left.
President Donald Trump criticized Schmidt in a Wednesday morning tweet, accusing him of failing to look at “a mountain of corruption and dishonesty.”
“A guy named Al Schmidt, a Philadelphia Commissioner and so-called Republican (RINO), is being used big time by the Fake News Media to explain how honest things were with respect to the Election in Philadelphia,” the president said on Twitter. “He refuses to look at a mountain of corruption & dishonesty. We win!”
A guy named Al Schmidt, a Philadelphia Commissioner and so-called Republican (RINO), is being used big time by the Fake News Media to explain how honest things were with respect to the Election in Philadelphia. He refuses to look at a mountain of corruption & dishonesty. We win!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 11, 2020
The post was flagged by Twitter and labeled with a warning stating “this claim about election fraud is disputed.”
“It’s important that we all stay focused on our job, which is counting votes cast on or before election day by eligible voters, which is something that should not be controversial,” Schmidt told CNN. (RELATED: Pennsylvania Postal Worker Denies Recanting Claims Of Mail-In Voter Fraud)
Schmidt said that he has received death threats, but that the important thing was focusing on doing his job.
“On a personal level, I’m sure it’s not easy for any of us here, there’s a real disconnect between the job that we’re doing, which is a good thing,” he said. “We just had the most transparent and secure election in the history of Philadelphia and the people here work night and day to do our job to count those votes.”
When asked if he has seen any evidence of widespread fraud, Schmidt responded that he had not.