CNN's Dana Bash and Sen. Tim Scott clash over 'false rumors of fraud' and Trump's stance on election

Sen. Tim Scott pushed back on CNN host Dana Bash on Sunday as she focused on what will happen if Tuesday’s election is close and former President Donald Trump declares victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the race for the White House.

“Will you urge the former president not to prematurely declare victory again and allow the process to play out so the American people can trust the final legitimate outcome?” Bash asked Scott on CNN’s “State of the Union,” according to The Hill. 

“Dana, we’re looking … forward to a very good day on Tuesday night without any question,” Scott responded. “I’m excited to see that the battleground states that [we’ve] just talked about are all leaning towards Trump. So, the good news is we will have a fair election, and Donald Trump will be our next president.”

“I appreciate your optimism. That’s your job on the eve of the election, but what I’m asking is, what if he doesn’t win?” Bash asked Scott.

“And the fact of the matter is that Trump is already spreading false claims about cheating in Pennsylvania," she added. "He has repeatedly predicted a massive victory, even though polls show that the race is very close; he’s setting the stage for his supporters not to believe the results if he loses. Do you want him to stop doing that?”

“I would never tell any candidate on the ballot to talk about what happens if they lose,” Scott responded. 

Bash continued pressing Scott, asking if “You think it’s okay to spread false rumors about fraud and undermine the integrity of the election, regardless of what happens?” 

“Dana, the liberal media has done a better job of spreading misinformation —” Scott said.

“Oh, come on, Senator,” Bash responded.

Regarding Pennsylvania, Trump might have been referring to efforts by Democrats to eliminate a requirement in state law that mail-in votes must have a handwritten date on them to be counted in the 2024 election, which the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has recently blocked twice, including this past Friday. 

Or perhaps it was about what went on in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Prosecutors there announced on Friday they had uncovered a large-scale scheme to submit fraudulent voter applications that were collected at shopping malls and other locations. 

District Attorney Heather Adams told a news conference that detectives have found about 60% of some 2,500 voter registrations submitted in recent days to the county's election office were fraudulent.

Perhaps instead of Dana Bash's concerns about Trump spreading "false rumors about fraud," she should spend more time on investigating to see if there is actual evidence of fraud.