Appearing on CNN with host Kate Bolduan, John Fetterman, the blunt-talking Pennsylvania lieutenant governor, claimed Donald Trump is forcing GOP lawmakers to pander to the "lunatic fringe" of the Republican Party in an effort to help him forestall leaving the Oval Office after the losing the 2020 presidential election to former Vice President Joe Biden.
Asked about maneuvering by GOP lawmakers in his state still attempting to push conspiracy theories that the election was stolen, Fetterman dismissed it all as a waste of time and a show aimed at placating the president.
"CNN learned in the last week Trump called the top Republican in the Pennsylvania legislature multiple times asking about the commonwealth's electoral process," host Bolduan reported. "A spokesman for Brian Cutler confirms that the president called but said, quote, 'according to the spokesman, never pressured Cutler to overturn the results or seat rival electors.' Okay, but what was he trying to indirectly do with the calls? What's going on here?"
"That's clearly what's going on," Fetterman insisted. "Whether it's said or explicitly or implicitly the message is clear: you need to do what I'm saying or you're going to pay a significant price politically because it's my way or the highway."
"I want to be clear, Speaker Cutler or President Pro Tempore Jake Corman have not made any good faith attempts to reverse the election results," he continued. "That needs to be said and folks need to understand that it is necessary in some cases like this to pander to the lunatic fringe snake-handling wing of this party because they are vocal and active."
Noting that GOP lawmakers are still getting death threats for not bending to the will of the president, Fetterman said nothing is going to change anyone's minds.
"I mean, everyone knows how this movie is going to end - the president more so than anybody," he told the CNN host. "That's why he's reverting to these outlandish attacks and trying to turn this into a political revenge-fest because people are standing up and saying 'It's not the truth and I'm going to stand on the side of the truth.'"
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