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WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden connected Wednesday said the midterms are a “defining moment” for ideology arsenic threats of governmental unit and voter intimidation loom implicit the upcoming elections.
In closing remarks days earlier the midterms, Biden again called predetermination deniers an existential menace to democracy, tying the Jan. 6 insurrection to past week’s attack connected Paul Pelosi. Prosecutors person said that the alleged attacker was looking for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi erstwhile helium attacked her hubby with a hammer.
“We indispensable with an overwhelming dependable basal against governmental unit and elector intimidation, period. Stand up and talk against it,” Biden said successful a astir 20-minute code adjacent the Capitol. “We don’t settee our differences successful America with a riot, a mob oregon a slug oregon a hammer. We settee them peacefully astatine the ballot box. We person to beryllium honorable with ourselves, though. We person to look this problem. We can’t crook distant from it. We can’t unreal it’s conscionable going to lick itself.”
Biden’s remarks successful portion echoed warnings helium has made astir the menace posed by those who dispersed mendacious accusation astir the validity of the 2020 elections and his statement that galore Republican supporters of erstwhile President Donald Trump are promoting “extremism.”
“We are facing a defining moment, an inflection point, and we indispensable with 1 overwhelming unified dependable talk arsenic a state and accidental there’s nary place, nary spot for elector intimidation oregon governmental unit successful America whether it’s directed astatine Democrats oregon Republicans nary spot period, nary spot ever,” Biden said.
The president besides made the lawsuit to voters that the election, which is little than a week away, volition beryllium important to preserving the nation’s antiauthoritarian values successful the agelong term. In doing so, helium accused his predecessor of threatening ideology by refusing to judge the results of the 2020 election.
“American ideology is nether onslaught due to the fact that the defeated erstwhile president of the United States refused to judge the results of the 2020 election, helium refuses to judge the volition of the people, helium refuses to judge the information that helium lost. He’s abused his powerfulness and enactment loyalty to himself earlier loyalty to the Constitution," Biden said.
Biden spoke astatine Union Station successful Washington — a determination chosen for its proximity to the U.S. Capitol, White House elder advisor Anita Dunn said astatine an lawsuit hosted by Axios earlier successful the day.
“He’ll beryllium making the code from Capitol Hill, and wherefore volition helium beryllium making the code connected Capitol Hill? Because connected Jan. 6 we saw unit geared toward subverting the antiauthoritarian processes, truthful it’s an due spot to marque these remarks tonight,” Dunn said.
Sources acquainted with the substance said that portion the taxable has been connected the president’s caput for rather immoderate time, a fig of developments person added to the urgency, including the increasing proposition by some Republican officials they may not judge the predetermination results and the information that immoderate Republicans person refused to denounce or have outright mocked Friday's onslaught connected House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi.
Biden besides emphasized that it whitethorn instrumentality respective days for each the votes to beryllium counted successful immoderate cardinal plaything states. In 2020, predetermination deniers utilized that lag successful clip needed to manus number absentee ballots to marque mendacious accusations against predetermination officials.
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel called Biden's remarks “desperate and dishonest."
"Joe Biden promised unity but has alternatively demonized and smeared Americans, portion making beingness much costly for all," McDaniel said. "While Republicans stay focused connected the issues that substance astir to voters, Biden and Democrats are flailing successful the last days due to the fact that they person mislaid interaction with the concerns of families struggling to get by."
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