During a contentious interview that aired on this week’s broadcast of “Fox News Sunday,” Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL), a candidate for Alabama’s U.S. Senate up this year, got into a somewhat heated back-and-forth dialogue with FNC host Sandra Smith over the legitimacy of the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
Brooks stated Trump had been robbed in 2020. Smith rejected Brooks’ claim on the basis of “no evidence or proof” having yet been provided, which led to the disagreement between the two.
Partial transcript as follows:
BROOKS: The president and I had many conversations between September 1 and his decision to unendorse me that revolved around his being reinstated — that revolved around his wanting to rescind the election.
And I can understand him wanting to do that. He was robbed, in my judgment, in 2020. In his judgment, he was robbed. And I can understand that desire. Our one shot at
The conflict was when I would explain the law does not permit us to do that. Our one shot at reversing the election, our one shot in election contests under the United States Constitution and federal law, is on January 6. That’s it. That’s the final appeal date.
So anything we do after that has to focus on winning the 2022 and 2024 elections. We can use what happened in 2020 as a motivation to get better election laws to use as motivation to win in 2022 and 2024 to save our country.
But what is now done in 2020 is irreversible under the United States Constitution and the United States Code. I’m one who believes in law and order. I might not like that is the end game, but that is the end game.
SMITH: And just to go on the record, there has been still no evidence or proof provided that there was any sort of fraud in that election.
BROOKS: That’s wrong. I don’t know why you people in the media keep saying that, but that is absolutely false. That is absolutely false. You keep saying it every time, but that’s absolutely false.
SMITH: What is false about it?
BROOKS; You had 150 congressmen and senators who absolutely disagree with you on what you just said. So what are you calling them? What are you calling them when you say 150 Republican senators and congressmen looked at the voter fraud issue and said there was a major problem?
What are you calling the Commission on Election Reform, a bipartisan committee with Jimmy Carter, on the one hand, James Baker, White House chief of staff, on the other, back in 2005, who analyzed the systemic weaknesses, the systemic flaws in our election system and warned us elections are going to be stolen if we don’t fix these problems and those problems were not fixed.
I don’t know who is telling you we don’t have evidence, but that tells me you haven’t done your homework. I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it is.
SMITH: The courts and judges —
(CROSSTALK)
BROOKS: No wait, timeout. Don’t go into that, don’t go into that. Don’t go into that —
(CROSSTALK)
The courts do not have the — wait a minute, no, I’m getting the last word on this one because you just made a false statement, OK? The courts are not the final arbiter of who wins federal election contests. Congress is.
That is required by the United States Constitution. That is required by the United States Code for congressmen, senators, and the president. So don’t be surprised — the courts don’t usurp the power that is authorized to the United States Congress.
SMITH: Let me just quote the GOP election commissioner in Wisconsin — in The Wall Street Journal, today, printed — I will read it verbatim. He said there is no evidence that election fraud is the reason Trump lost in Wisconsin, and that is not for lack of looking.
His advice to your party is to pivot away from these conspiracy theories, focus on the issue that affects Wisconsin families and their pocketbooks.
Sir, I want to move on to January 6 and ask you about the committee —
(CROSSTALK)
BROOKS: OK. Then, look at the — look at the — look at the judge’s opinion, look at the judge’s opinion in Pennsylvania that talked about over 2 million illegal ballots cast, that was their court order.
SMITH: Sir, have you been subpoenaed yet by the January 6 Committee?
BROOKS: Look at the special investigation of a Supreme Court justice who found significant voter fraud at nursing homes in the state of Wisconsin.
SMITH: OK.
BROOKS: Look at the “2000 Mules” documentary that has come out. Look at how many mass mail out of ballots there were across United States for which we have no security.
SMITH: OK, and that has been looked at and fact-checked by multiple outlets, including Reuters, who have debunked that as any sort of proof that there was widespread voter fraud.
BROOKS: I’m sorry —
SMITH: I’m going to —
(CROSSTALK)
SMITH: January 6 —
(CROSSTALK)
BROOKS: Other people have fact-checked it, but you’re absolutely wrong, Sandra. But keep going with that story if you wish.
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
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