Officials in Philadelphia are fact-checking former President Donald Trump in real time, refuting what they say are baseless allegations about cheating — part of a pattern for the former president.
"A lot of talk about massive CHEATING in Philadelphia. Law Enforcement coming!!! he posted on Truth Social shortly before 5 p.m. ET.
Trump did not elaborate on his claims. But Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, a Democrat, was quick to slam them as "unfounded."
"The only talk about massive cheating has come from one of the candidates, Donald J. Trump," he wrote on social media and in a press release. "There is no factual basis whatsoever within law enforcement to support this wild allegation."
Krasner said his office has invited complaints and allegations of improprieties all day.
"If Donald J. Trump has any facts to support his wild allegations, we want them now. Right now," he added. "We are not holding our breath."
Trump's accusations, while vague, circulated across social media in the hours before Pennsylvania polls were due to close.
Cait Conley, who oversees election security at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, was asked about claims of widespread fraud in Pennsylvania circulating online at a media briefing in the early evening.
"We have no data or reporting to support these claims," she said.
Trump has a long history of making baseless claims about fraud in elections past and present, and he and his allies have increasingly primed supporters to falsely believe the only way he can lose is due to cheating.
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