Fact check: Trump aide pushes false story of vote fraud
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kellyanne Conway, left, and Stephen Miller, both senior advisers to President Donald Trump, walked to a news conference with President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Feb. 10, at the White House in Washington.
WASHINGTON >> Presidential adviser Stephen Miller peddled discredited theories about voter fraud during a round of TV appearances Sunday that won praise from his boss but brought no new evidence to light.
Miller mischaracterized research about wrongly registered voters and spread a debunked claim that busloads of Democrats came into New Hampshire and voted improperly in the November election. His Sunday morning performance on news shows earned him a “Good job!” on Twitter from President Donald Trump, who alleged days earlier that he lost New Hampshire in November only because “thousands” of people came by bus to vote against him.
A look at a few of the senior policy adviser’s statements on ABC’s “This Week.”
MILLER: “I can tell you that this issue of busing voters in to New Hampshire is widely known by anyone who’s worked in New Hampshire politics. It’s very real, it’s very serious. This morning on this show is not the venue for me lay out all the evidence.”
The accusation that people from more liberal Massachusetts crossed state lines in buses and voted was made shortly before the election by Republican Chris Sununu, who won election as governor. Sununu quickly backed down, saying his talk about busloads of illegal voters was “more a figure of speech” — in other words, not reality. Actual cases of voter fraud detected in New Hampshire have been in the single digits over recent elections.
After Miller’s remarks, Fergus Cullen, chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party for the 2008 election, lashed out.
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“Miller makes false #magicbus claim, offers no proof,” he tweeted. “Delusional. There are no bused-in voters.” He also tweeted: “I will pay $1000 to 1st person proving even 1 out-of-state person took bus from MA 2 any NH polling place last Election Day.”
MILLER: “You have millions of people who are registered in two states or who are dead who are registered to vote. And you have 14 percent of noncitizens, according to academic research, at a minimum, are registered to vote, which is an astonishing statistic.”
THE FACTS: His claim about people with multiple voting registrations and registrations from beyond the grave is based on a Pew study that did not allege or illustrate voting fraud, and it was not about the 2016 election. Rather, the study, released in 2012 and based in part on 2008 results, was about outdated or otherwise inaccurate voter registration records. It pointed to sloppy record-keeping but nothing that would favor one party over the other.
David Becker, an author of the study, said it never found fraud. Moreover, he said voting integrity in 2016 was “better in this election than ever before.”
Miller’s claim about an “astonishing” number of non-citizens who are registered to vote is based on a study that has been disputed in academia and misrepresented in the political arena.
The study by Old Dominion University researchers did estimate that 14 percent or more of noncitizens had registered to vote, but the methodology was challenged and the authors were upfront about the imprecision in their findings. As for how many non-citizens actually voted, their “best guess” was 6.4 percent of them in 2008 and 2.2 percent in 2010.
“There are many on the left side of that debate who have relentlessly sought to discredit our results and want to push the level of estimated non-citizen participation to zero,” Jesse Richman, an associate professor of political science and international affairs and one of the authors, wrote. “On the right there has been a tendency to misread our results as proof of massive voter fraud, which we don’t think they are.”
He wrote that the study suggests “almost all elections in the US are not determined by non-citizen participation, with occasional and very rare potential exceptions.”
Find all AP Fact Checks here: http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd
77 responses to “Fact check: Trump aide pushes false story of vote fraud”
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Trumpophiles…any comments?
Any fact checking or polls done by the media are fake news. The star advertiser itself is guilty of the same antics. Every story over the last 8yrs about Obama was a love letter. Since the election every story about Trump is negative. Fact in point. The polls showed Hillary winning the election by 8-10 percent margin. Fake poll Fake news.
My comment is awaiting celebration oops meant moderation.
@ ahi1pfb
Agree. lol loved your statement…
“Every story over the last 8yrs about Obama was a love letter.”
The FAKEnews POLLS was a detriment to Crooked hiLIARy & ALL her supporters who were celebrating BEFORE the results.
Everything that emanates from the Trump White House and Trump Organization, are just lies upon lies. You have to be brain dead to believe any of it.
@ vector
FAKEnews=Vector’s info source
I bet you will concur that Obama was the most truthful potus ever in American history?
And O’s administration the most transparent in American history?
Keoni, what does you comment have to do with the price of cheese, in other words, how is it related to the topic at hand?
@ advertiser1
Why does everything have to be explained over & over again to you?
Can’t you get it the first time around?
Let me draw you a picture…raise your eyeballs one comment above mine. I’m answering your buddy vector with a question…get it?
sheesh
So, what about the fact the folks that conducted the study that Trump cites say he is misinterpreting the findings? Is that fake news? And quite frankly the treatment of Obama is irrelevant.
ahi1, if the Star Advertiser is fake news, no one is forcing you to read it. Go back to Fox News, Breitbart News and the other fascist right wing news propaganda media
Because unlike some people I know, I read everything so I can call out fact from fiction. If you would open up to the reality around us you to might be able to discern when you are being fed propaganda. When you read everything you find out that the truth is somewhere in the middle of the BS from both sides.
Vector doesn’t just drink the Kool Aid….he snorts it dry straight out of the package.
Did you ever think that some of these accounts are actually factual? If you believe that ALL news accounts are fake then much of what you have learned in school are false as much of what we learn are gathered by the news media.
Rampant voter fraud set off events ending with the Bowling Green Massacre. A pox on the bazillions and gazillions of fraudulent voters! Build a wall around voting booths, and make fake voters pay for them.
IRT Advertiser1, let’s begin with the 1993 National Voter Registration Act signed into law by President Clinton. Since, on Hawaii voter list carries some 5% to 7% (35,000 names) of individuals who had died and the next of kin did not provide the death certificate to the elections office to purge the registered voter from the list. We do carry the registered list without purging between two presidential elections of some 6 years. Yet, the Election Office refuses to purge the registration list “fearing” losing a single voter. Also, we rarely review the names of registered voters who have moved out of Hawaii, or changed address in Hawaii, etc. or did not vote in the Primary or General elections. All of this issues exist because we maintain the names on the list for years, and now the list could be used for voter fraud. A solution, pass a law to have the Elections Office and County Clerks, after 30 calendar days following the certification of the General election, conduct a purge of the voter registration lists of all voters who did not vote in the Primary or the General Elections. This forces all of us to seek ways to get our citizens to register and to vote, if we believe the American voting process. Making voter registration and voting easy fails America and protecting our Freedoms.
AP news feed. 🙂
“Was it because of voter fraud or was it because of guys out for a walk one night and decided they’d go commit voter fraud…what difference at this point does it make?! POTUS Trump is the POTUS and the I lost fair & square.” end quote ____?____.
Yes, but it’s Trump’s team that keeps bringing this up.
@ advertiser1
So…don’t listen?
you’re suggesting we ignore the official word coming out of the White House. What should take its place? You’ve also claimed that SA is “fake news”. If we can’t trust traditional news outlets like SA, but also should ignore information directly from the source, who’s providing a trustworthy official record?
@ GooglyMoogly
You listen…watch…decide.
Easy as 1..2..3
Isn’t that what adults do?
IRT Advertiser1, we must use the support of President Trump to reform and update America’s voting system. Now, we have an opportunity to correct many errors in the system.
I agree with voting reform. The electoral college has to go. Maybe it was necessary at the start, but one vote should be one vote.
One vote is one vote
The US has a federal system in which the elections are state-wide, not national
The winner in the states is done by popular vote, one person one vote
The state wide votes are then normalized by population and representation
In deference to federalism, each state has two senators, regardless of its population
You would have to get rid of this to implement what I believe is your anti-federalist philosophy
Clinton Lost! Trump Won! But JohnnyToiletFaceKonnyakuHead is still a loser and a mindless minion unable to think for himself. SAD!
What’s wrong with this Miller? What a liar. Is he being treated?
Miller is arrogant but oddly a liar and an ignoramus. He should be fired by trump as he is discrediting Trump even further
And, Trump needs no help discrediting himself, for Trump is quite capable of discrediting himself, all by himself. Every day.
“a liar and an ignoramus”
There she goes again.
this is fake news. thousands of illegal aliens with state licenses have voted. no vetting. just drivers id.
if trump goes forward and investigates voter fraud, the results would back his charge. thats why the dimms are yelling foul.
trump #maga
Where is the proof of this fraud?
A drivers license does not allow non-citizens to vote, whether or not they are legally in the country.
In California it does.
When you renew your driver’s license, which is now available to illegals, it automatically registers you to vote.
You have to specifically opt out, which is what it is rather optimistically assumed you will do if you are an illegal.
It almost seems specifically designed facilitate illegal voting (amongst other things).
Question, did those illegals vote?
advertiser1 how you know they never vote? i bet you they all voted because if they didn’t trump was going to kick them out. nobody checked the state rolls with the federal rolls because obama da a’ama would not allow it. why because they voted!!
auwe!
Deep, so, still no proof? Don’t you think we might, at this point have some evidence of the 3 million claimed by Trump? You can offer all of this conjecture, but still offer no proof. And I must also remind you, no Hawaiian here, according to your president, “this is America, we speak English.”
You are wrong, cricket amos. That is a widespread falsehood being circulated by purveyors of fake news. Automatic registration info is sent to the secretary of state’s office for verification of citizenship. Only then can the driver be registered to vote.
skunit
I have heard of two supposed safeguards against voter registration of illegals in California, under the new law that automatically registers you to vote, regardless of your residency status.
One is checks at the DMV, the other is your statement about the Secretary of State check, that there is a check before which registration occurs
i) DMV check. The DMV check seems to be non-existent by law. The Motor Voter Assembly Bill states
“This chapter shall not be construed as requiring the Department of Motor Vehicles to determine eligibility for voter registration and voting. The Secretary of State is solely responsible for determining eligibility for voter registration and voting.”
ii) Checks by the Secretary of State. The Motor Vehicle Registration act required
“A process for canceling the registration of a person who is ineligible to vote, but became registered under the California New Motor Voter Program i…..”
Your statement that
“Only then can the driver be registered to vote”
is apparently false, they are automatically registered to vote. They are then only removed if the Secretary of State’s procedure catches them.
A drivers license does not allow non-citizens to vote in Federal elections in any state, whether or not they are legal residents.
no hon. Trump won narrowly in a an election rigged by Russia. He is not legitimate in anyway,.
Every Clinton rally had under 1k supporters. Every Trump rally had over 10k in supporters.
Dead people can’t attend rallies but they can vote. Illegals encouraged to vote by Obama. Of the 3 states that did recounts massive fraud was discovered in favor of Clinton.
More fake news.
Then why is Trump’s disapproval rating now higher than 56% throughout the nation. I will tell you why more people do not trust him or anyone connected with him, especially all his Cabinet picks and aides.
Proof?
President Trump is doing exactly what he said he would do. Had a successful meeting today with business women and is very transparent in all his activities. The whining losers just can’t accept an embarrassing defeat. Another great day in America.
That’s not proof of anything
Ad1> What proof do you have that there was no voter fraud? Since you are so adamant about POTUS not being able to prove that there was VF can you prove otherwise? You counter everybody but you yourself has not provided any proof. What say you to that??
IRT NP5491: Was that an admission of defeat by you??? Don’t make accusations if you can’t prove your point…The accuser must provide the proof…HAHAHAHA!!! Nice try…#MAGA
NP, you don’t have to prove a negative. Besides, it’s Trump that claims there was fraud…so, the burden is on him.
Was it a week ago that eight (eight!) people showed up at a pro-Trump rally in Maine?
No, it was two weeks. Where’s Maine?
Not sure. I know it’s not in the Rust Belt.
Saw an interview this morning with Fergus Cullen. So far, no takers for his $1,000 offer of bussing proof. He said Miller and Trump are likely “misinformed” though he didn’t want to get into trying to analyze their motives. He said Trump should move past these “sideshows” and focus on the business at hand rather than trump up false charges “from three months ago.”
The AP fact checking? I’d trust the fox guarding the hen house before I’d trust the AP and its local progressive megaphone, a.k.a the Star Advertiser. Democrats are expert at coercing people who have never had an independent thought with a pack of smokes or $5 to jump on the bus and pull the lever for the candidate with the D next to his name. Then there’s the captive audience union rank and file who are bullied into voting democrat. Then there’s the illegals voting in CA. via the motor voter law and early voting.
Ok, can you please cite to some source regarding your claims.
Well of course it all depends on where you get your news, doesn’t it? The Washington Times has some pretty compelling voter fraud examples. On the other hand the democrat media organization a.k.a NPR claims all charges of voter fraud have been thoroughly de-bunked, which is exactly what one would expect of NPR. Based on past performance by taxpayer funded NPR I’m more inclined to believe the Washington Times.
CEI, I completely agree that the source is vital. I kind of glanced at your source, and while clearly a Rush Limbaugh supporting org, I am very interested in the examples you are speaking of. Not to make you do work, but would you mind cutting and pasting the links? Are you talking about Agresti’s findings?
CEI, sorry another question, do you think 3 million is a reasonable estimate of the voter fraud in the last election?
Again, I’m sure the democrat controlled NPR would have something to say about these claims.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/oct/17/no-voter-fraud-isnt-myth-10-cases-where-its-all-to/
Are we talking about it happening on both Republican and Democrat sides??? or That it’s happening only on Democrats side??? #MAGA
10 cases, pretty close to the 3 million claimed by Trump. Yes, there is, and always has been fraud, as noted by the article. The question still remains, how do you go from the numbers cited in your article to 3 million?
Cei: the claim about illegal immigrants in cali being allowed to vote because they have driver’s licenses is completely false and being spread by fake news sites. Registration through the dmv is sent to the office of the secretary of state for verification of citizenship before it can be completed.
Fake News! Caution! Fake News Alert!
This is soooooo funny how desperate the Left stream media aka ABC’s George Stephanopoulos desperately tries to save the Democrat Party. The EX Clinton employee,”thinks” he is grilling Stephen Miller,but then it does a complete 180% reverse on Poor George! Haaaaaaaaaaaaa! can’t stop laughing!
Don’t buy it folks, George is pulling The Wool over your eyes! This is their game! The Left will try to oppose Voter Id, Oppose Voter Fraud because this is how they get into office. If you have a Brain check it yourself ,don’t take my word for it……..Here’s one for my Liberal deniers.
Headline:
Rosa Marie Ortega 37 has been sentenced to 12 years for “Voter Fraud”……..”Fact Check”…….cont.
Read the full story on how Ms Ortega did it.then you tell me if “Voter Fraud” does Not Exist! in the meantime omit AP’s Headline and insert this one in it’s place. _____”AP Pushes False Story of Voter Fraud” ___Haaaaaaaaaaa. So tired Busting these guys!Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
So, 1 person equals 3 million?
I don’t think anyone is saying voter fraud doesn’t exist, it just doesn’t exist to the crazy levels claimed by Trump.
All right! Only 2,999,999 to 4,999,999 more and Trump is vindicated. At least this will help VP Pence, whom Trump said he’ll assign this impossible task.
Agree with advertiser1: No one is saying voter fraud doesn’t exist at all. Trump is also mixing voter registration rolls with actual voter fraud. Get over it Donald; you didn’t win the popular vote. So what? You’re are “so-called president.” Start acting like one.
Did you read the full story, moilee? Ortega is a registered REPUBLICAN! Perhaps trump is right after all and this is how he won?
Democrats beware, Ortega seems to be a REPUBLICAN voter…Trumpers were right…#MAGA
Tiffany Trump, Steve Bannon, and Steven Mnuchin registered to vote in two states.
And your point is?
That’s legal…but you can vote only once.
Trump Won! But JohnnyToiletFaceKonnykuHead is still a loser! SAD!
IRT bumbye: You are right Trump told us that people registering in two states are proof of the voter fraud problem…Who would have thought, using Trumps definition of voter fraud, his own family and team were part of the fraud…Add Ortega who they are saying voted Republican…#MAGA
Trump can’t even win with grace. He is so mentally ill that he must make up stories (that his sad followers actually believe) to explain the fact that Mrs. Clinton received 3 million more votes.
His personality defects are crippling his administration and endangering the United States.
fact check: star advertiser is fake news
This is not “fact check” this is “fake check”, POTUS Trump already has the evidence and the dishonest media knows this. There is proof of Hillary Clinton stealing 5 states and was trying to steal 6 more states that were prevented, but still lost! The landslide votes were so huge for Trump that Hillary was not able to steal the election.
Democrat connected groups had already loaded codes in the voting machines to remotely flip the votes for Hillary all over the country. The proven evidence came from the top leading expert in this country Bev Harris the founder of Hacking Democracy who had obtained the codes. Dept. of Homeland Security worked in conjunction w/other states to block further voter machine hacking fraud from taking place. There is video evidence in real time of the machine votes flipping for Hillary (and it was not the Russians). From this, an investigation had already been spearheaded. This is besides people being bused in from another county, illegal voting, etc.
The politicians mainly comprised of Democrats are against Trump and going after him in full organized force. The politicians know the Trump Train is going full steam ahead to “drain the swamp” of corruption and the Dems does not want the train gaining momentum, they are doing everything in their power to derail him and probably want to do Trump in like the act that was done to our 35th, JFK. The “Ugly Americans” to their own country!
Love this comment Thank you
Best move your spaceship… It’s double-parked. You’ll get a ticket.
Watched the rest of Stephen Miller’s interview, it kind of reminded me of old news clips of Joseph Goebbels speaking of the Leader at a Nuremberg rally.