- Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich called on Attorney General Bill Barr to send federal agents to arrest poll workers. He cited no evidence to back his demand.
- In an interview with Fox News on Thursday night, Gingrich discussed a Trump campaign lawsuit in Pennsylvania complaining that its poll watchers weren't allowed to be close enough to observe the ballot counting.
- One court ruled on Thursday that candidates' designated observers must be allowed to watch the vote counting. Counting has proceeded on that basis.
- "The Philadelphia machine is corrupt. The Atlanta machine is corrupt. The machine in Detroit is corrupt. And they are trying to steal the presidency. And we should not allow them to do that," Gingrich said.
- There are no legal proceedings alleging that any poll workers are "corrupt."
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich called on Attorney General Bill Barr to send federal agents to arrest poll workers, claiming that several states' voting systems were "corrupt." He cited no evidence to back up his claim.
In an interview on Fox News on Thursday night, the host Sean Hannity and Gingrich discussed the Trump campaign's lawsuits in Michigan, Georgia, and Pennsylvania, filed as Joe Biden took the lead in several battleground states.
In one lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania, Trump's team complained that its poll watchers weren't allowed to be close enough to observe the ballot counting. One court ruled on Thursday that candidates' designated observers must be allowed to watch the vote counting. Counting has proceeded on that basis.
"Is that a violation of law? And how do you remedy that?" Hannity asked Gingrich.
"The Philadelphia machine is corrupt. The Atlanta machine is corrupt. The machine in Detroit is corrupt. And they are trying to steal the presidency. And we should not allow them to do that," Gingrich responded.
In reality, no charge has been brought or civil lawsuit filed to suggest that any poll workers are "corrupt."
But Gingrich continued. "First of all, under federal law, we should lock up the people who are breaking the law," he said. "You stop somebody from being an observer, you just broke federal law. You hide and put up papers so nobody can see what you're doing? You just broke federal law. You bring in ballots that aren't real? You just broke federal law."
When asked by Hannity how to fix such a problem, Gingrich said the "first answer" was to look at the attorney general, who "issued an order that federal agents can carry guns in the pursuit of people who are breaking the law."
"That's a signal," Gingrich said.
The attorney general has not made any such order.
Watch the moment below:
The Trump campaign has filed several lawsuits to halt states' vote counts or contest results. It has also called for a recount in Wisconsin. Here's a list of all the lawsuits and where they stand.
Gingrich was the House speaker from 1995 to 1999. He was a Republican representative for Georgia's 6th Congressional District, covering northern Atlanta and nearby areas, for 20 years until his resignation in 1999.
Biden on Friday morning surpassed the 270 electoral votes required to win the White House, according to projections by Decision Desk HQ.
The Democratic nominee had won 4 million more votes than Trump as of Friday, a lead that's likely to grow as states finalize their results in the coming days and weeks.
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