GOP candidate for Virginia governor claims he didn't say Trump might be reinstated

A day after an audio recording surfaced of the Virginia Republican nominee for governor saying that it was “unclear” whether the courts might reinstate Donald Trump as president, Glenn Youngkin said Tuesday that he was somehow being misquoted. He blamed his Democratic opponent and the press, while still not actually repudiating his own comments.

Youngkin told Virginia Scope:

Terry McAuliffe and his allies in the liberal media sure to love to twist my words beyond recognition. I’ve said that Joe Biden is legitimately our president, so there is no question here. As I tried to say politely the other day, there is no legal proceeding that will change the fact that Joe Biden and his liberal allies are dragging our economy down with their bad policies until 2015, and instead of litigating the past we must be focused on winning in November to stop those policies here in Virginia.

But an audio of his July 29 office opening — released Monday by American Bridge 21st Century — indeed suggested he had not ruled out the possibility that President Joe Biden might be removed from office by the judiciary. The U.S. Constitution offers no path whatsoever for that to happen.

Asked by an attendee about the possibility that Trump might “come back in August or September” after the “fraud” is exposed and that “stolen” Virginia races might also be overturned, Youngkin was recorded responding, “Ma’am, I don’t know the particulars about how that can happen, because what’s happening in the court system is moving slowly and it’s unclear. And we all know that courts move slowly.”

Youngkin has previously been cagey about whether Biden legitimately beat Trump. Biden won Virginia and its 13 electors by more than 10 points, 54.1% to 44%.

In February, Youngkin told the Washington Post he did not believe Biden stole the election, but refused to say who was the legitimate winner. In April, he repeatedly passed up chances to affirm Biden’s legitimacy and told a reporter, “People absolutely continue not to have faith in the process. This is the issue.”

Since winning his party’s nomination at a state convention, Youngkin has been more explicit in saying that Biden was the true victor. But he is also scheduled to participate in an “election integrity” conspiracy theorists’ rally at Liberty University this weekend. A statewide audit found Virginia’s 2020 election results were overwhelmingly accurate.

Several Republicans have criticized Youngkin for his refusal to stand up to Donald Trump’s “big lie” that Biden didn’t really win.

GOP strategist Jim Swift wrote Monday that Youngkin “keeps stoking the election conspiracy fire” and engaged in “blatant pandering.”

“In reality, state and federal courts moved quickly after the election, and they rejected the arguments that Donald Trump’s lawyers made in more than sixty lawsuits contesting various aspects of the election,” he noted.

David Ramadan, a former GOP state legislator, called Youngkin’s response “a pathetic answer.”

“Drop out @GlennYoungkin,” he urged,” you’re not fit for office.”

Trump has repeatedly endorsed Youngkin, saying the former investment firm executive “has been an incredible success and will truly Make Virginia Great Again.”

Youngkin faces Democratic former Gov. Terry McAuliffe this November.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.