Rep. Ron Wright calls for investigation of election amid unsubstantiated fraud claims
Republican U.S. Rep. Ron Wright of Arlington is calling for an investigation into the 2020 election after Attorney General William Barr said the Justice Department uncovered no evidence of widespread voter fraud.
Since Joe Biden won the election, President Donald Trump has challenged the result in key states with lawsuits, but Trump has found no success.
In a statement Monday, Wright said he urges Barr to appoint a special counsel as it would ensure that allegations of voter fraud are investigated to the fullest extent by the Justice Department. Wright said an investigation would “ultimately restore the American people’s utmost faith in our democratic system.”
The statement did not clarify if Wright was talking only about the presidential election or every election, which would include his victory. The Star-Telegram reached out to Wright, but his office did not immediately respond.
Wright joins Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick as Texas officials who have at one point refused to acknowledge Biden as the winner and have claimed that all legal votes need to be counted. Political experts have said Republicans don’t want to get on the bad side of the party and Trump, who is still in office, so they still voice support for him.
Wright was also recently asked by the Washington Post who he thought won the election, but he did not give an answer.
U.S Rep. Marc Veasey, a Democrat from Fort Worth, said in a statement that the Trump Administration had multiple attempts to prove its claims of voter fraud but it hasn’t worked. So, if Republicans want to restore faith in democracy, they should acknowledge Biden’s victory, he said.
“The peaceful transition of power is the cornerstone of our democracy and I believe the recent attempts by Republicans to undercut this process are dangerous to the future of our country”, Veasey said.
Republican Rep. Kay Granger of Fort Worth did not immediately respond for comment.
This story was originally published December 7, 2020 at 2:23 PM.
