Page:Final Report of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol.pdf/228

 ''sending of Ballots. Also, a GIFT to foreign interference into our election!!! Stop it now, before it is too late''.

Before the election, as President Trump campaigned against mail-in voting, Bill Stepien sought an intercession. Along with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Stepien attempted to convince the President that mail-in voting was "not … a bad thing for his campaign." They argued that President Trump's decision to discourage mail-in voting, while "urging [his] voters to vote only on election day leaves a lot to chance" and would fail to take advantage of a superior grassroots operation that could encourage Trump voters to return their ballots. President Trump did not heed their warning. He continued to demonize mail-in voting. The Red Mirage was a key part of his "Big Lie."

Ominously, President Trump consistently refused to commit to accepting the outcome of the election. During an interview on Fox News in July, Chris Wallace asked: "Can you give a direct answer [if] you will accept the election?" President Trump responded: "I have to see. Look, you—I have to see. No, I'm not going to just say yes. I'm not going to say no, and I didn't last time either."

On September 23, 2020, a reporter asked President Trump if he would commit to a "peaceful transferal of power after the election." The President refused, saying, "we're going to have to see what happens." The President claimed, "the ballots are disaster," adding that if he could "get rid of the ballots … we'll have a very peaceful—there won't be a transfer, frankly; there'll be a continuation." That is, according to President Trump, there would be a "continuation" of his presidency.

The following day, September 24, another reporter followed up by asking if the election would be legitimate only if President Trump won. The President again suggested there was something suspect about mail-in ballots, adding that he was "not sure" the election could be an honest one.

Consistent with the pre-election narrative planted by President Trump, within hours of polls closing, President Trump began pushing the claim that late-reported vote tallies were illegitimate. Even though he had been reminded by his Campaign Manager that very day that a large number of mail-in ballots would not be counted for several hours or days, President Trump claimed that Democrats were going to "find … ballots at four o'clock in the morning and add them to the list." He also suggested that Democrats were continuing to vote after the polls had closed.