Anderson Cooper and former Rep. Scott Taylor Photo: Screenshot
A visibly frustrated Anderson Cooper cut off a GOP former congressman repeatedly during a CNN segment about Donald Trump’s baseless claim that 20% of mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania were fraudulent.
“Here we go again! Where is the U.S. Attorney General and FBI to INVESTIGATE? Where is the Pennsylvania Republican Party?” Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform. “We Will WIN Pennsylvania by a lot, unless the Dems are allowed to CHEAT.”
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There is nothing to back this claim, and multiple courts reviewed the 2020 election and found no evidence of widespread fraud.
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The out CNN host had former Reps. Scott Taylor (R-VA) and Adam Kinzinger (R-VA) on his show to discuss Trump’s claim. Cooper asked Taylor if his statement is “acceptable.”
“There are a lot of folks out there, literally millions of Americans who had a big problem with 2020-” Taylor started before Cooper cut him off.
“I know, but just factually, they don’t have any evidence,” Cooper said. “Like, courts looked at it. I know a lot of people… Because it’s promoted on a lot of networks and a lot of radio networks. But just saying, ‘A lot of people feel this,’ doesn’t make it true. I think you know it’s not true, I assume, but there’s no evidence.”
Taylor then said there were “tons of irregularities” in the 2020 election, adding, “There are people who have problems with it.”
“What are the tons of irregularities?” Cooper asked, cutting Taylor off again. Taylor brought up COVID-era laws and claims that ballot drop boxes were “unsecure.”
“There’s tons of things out there that changed in 2020 that are still there now,” he said, adding, “There are folks in my family who had issues with the way 2020 was handled.”
Cooper cut him off again when he brought up “Zuckerbucks” — the $350 million that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s non-profit, the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), gave to 2,500 election departments across 47 states to help adminster the 2020 elections.
“There are people who think the Earth is flat,” Cooper said. “There’s people around the dinner table who think the Earth is flat. It doesn’t make it real.”
“Congressman Kinzinger,” Cooper said, just moving on from Taylor. “Is this normal?”
“It’s disgusting and, man, Scott, I love you, but come on dude,” Kinzinger said. “Our words have an impact on this country.”
