Missouri Sec. of State Jay Ashcroft (R) threatened to remove President Biden from the ballot for insurrection but fell apart when asked what Biden did.
Ashcroft was asked on CNN,” I’m wondering though, what would then be your justification for removing Joe Biden from the ballot in Missouri? Has he engaged in your mind in some kind of insurrection?”
The Missouri Secretary of State answered, “Uh, there have been allegations that he’s engaged in insurrection. How so? And all there have, no, please let me finish. There have only been allegations.”
Ashcroft was asked for proof again, “You can’t say something like that and not back it up. What, what do you mean?”
The Republican said, “I am continuing, but you interrupted me before I could back it up. Go ahead, sir. Are you scared of the truth?”
CNN’s anchor did not back down, “Oh, I’m not terrified of the truth at all. It seems like you might be. Let’s see what you have to say.”
Ashcroft kept fumbling, “There have only been allegations against President Trump. What allegations? President Trump has never been, um, uh, adjudicated guilty in a court of law.”
The man in charge of Missouri’s elections was asked again, “What did Joe Biden do, in your mind, that equates to insurrection? What allegations are you talking about?”
Ashcroft retreated to vague allegations, “I have seen allegations from the Lieutenant Governor of Texas. That has said that the, that Joe Biden has, has, uh, has, uh, been part of insurrection or rebellion. We’ve seen the president, uh, sorry, the governor of Florida say the same thing.”
One last attempt was made to get a specific answer, “Insurrection over what? What would the governor of Texas say that Joe Biden was causing an insurrection over? If you’re going to make the claim, give me, give me some specifics. Are you just going to cite the governor of Texas or Florida and not actually say what they are arguing? Do you know what they’re arguing?”
Ashcroft falsely claimed that Trump was kicked off the ballot for only allegations, “All what I’m telling you is this. They made allegations, and all it took for the president, for former president Trump to be taken off the ballot in Colorado and in Maine were allegations.”
Video:
With zero evidence, Missouri Attorney General Jay Ashcroft (R) says on CNN that President Joe Biden has been accused of engaging in “insurrection,” and he would consider taking him off the state’s ballot. pic.twitter.com/bdUmCljvUw
— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) January 8, 2024
Republicans keep trying to play tit-for-tat with Biden and Trump, but they are running into the same problem. President Biden hasn’t done anything wrong, and when reporters start asking questions, the allegations against Biden fall apart.
Ashcroft tried all of the usual Republican tricks. He spoke in the vaguest of terms. He provided no details, and when he was pressed for facts, he attacked the motives of the questioner.
None of it worked.
Ashcroft’s performance also revealed why Republicans keep talking about taking Biden off the ballot but don’t do it.
Trump was charged with crimes related to an attempted coup. If Republicans remove Biden from a ballot, Biden will sue. The President will win, and it will only harm the GOP.
Republicans have nothing, and their efforts to make something up against Biden result in failure and embarrassment.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
