U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, an ally of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, will not accept the results of the Nov. 5 election if they are “unfair,” he said on Sunday.
“Will you accept the election results of 2024, no matter what happens, senator?” NBC News’ “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker asked Rubio, a Florida Republican, in an interview.
“No matter what happens? No,” Rubio answered. “If it’s an unfair election, I think it’s going to be contested by either side.”
Trump and his allies are laying the groundwork to contest a potential loss in November, stoking doubts about the election’s legitimacy even as polls show the former president leading in battleground states, Reuters reported on Thursday.
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The problem is if you ask the question “will you accept the results of an election, no matter what happens?” to any reasonable person they’d consider it, and likely say something along the lines of “No, there are probably some circumstances that could make me not accept the results of an election.”
As a reporter, you can’t read malfeasance into a response that you’ve requested yourself when it is a completely reasonable response. It’s a loaded question that assumes bad faith to attempt to show bad faith, which is nonsensical. If anything, asking that sort of question gives the opportunity to lay groundwork with plausible deniability.
You have to give these guys enough rope to hang themselves with.