PA Attorney General Shapiro Slams Trump Over Mail Vote Lawsuit

HARRISBURG, PA —Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro has harshly rebuked President Donald Trump's lawsuit attempt to bar voting by mail in the general election in November because it could lead to voter fraud.

"We went to court and said, "Hey, Mr. President, put up or shut up," Shapiro said on CBS' 60 Minutes on Sunday. "Demonstrate that fraud that you keep talking about as the reason for
trying to undermine the vote here in Pennsylvania."

The president's re-election campaign, the Republican National Committee and several GOP Pennsylvania congressmen sued state and county elections officials in June, asking a federal court to bar voting by mail in the te in the November election. The lawsuit alleges that the way the ballot boxes were used in the June 2 primary was unconstitutional.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, was filed against Kathy Boockvar, Pennsylvania's secretary of state, and the boards of elections of the state's 67 counties. Joining the Trump campaign and the RNC as plaintiffs in the case are Republican U.S. Reps. Glenn Thompson, Mike Kelly, John Joyce and Guy Reschenthaler.

The lawsuit contends that upending the election process and undermining ballot security is the single greatest threat to free and fair elections.

The federal court judge presiding over the lawsuit, a Trump appointee, has asked the president's lawyers to show reason why this case should proceed

Shapiro, who faces a challenge from Republican Pittsburgh attorney Heather Heidelbaugh in November, told 60 minutes that Trump's legal team has failed to produce any meaningful proof that demonstrates that there's fraud or demonstrates that the statute permitting voting by mail is illegal.

"They can make all the claims they want on Twitter. They can make all the claims they want in the media, no disrespect," he said. "But ultimately when you make a claim in court you're bound to have to show proof, facts, and evidence."