'No basis in reality': Jake Tapper slams GOP senate candidates for pushing 'deranged' theories about 2020 election

On Friday's edition of CNN's "The Lead," anchor Jake Tapper tore into Republican candidates for continuing to promote conspiracy theories about the 2020 election being rigged.

"The newest midterm election trend, Republican House and Senate candidates spending millions of dollars on ads to tout Donald Trump's Big Lie," said Tapper. "It's happening in Missouri, in Arizona, it's happening in Ohio. Before we air any clips, what you are about to watch has absolutely no basis in reality."

"The Democrats rigged the election," said Missouri Senate candidate Billy Long in one clip.

"They lie. Waste our money. Rig our elections," said Arizona Senate candidate Jim Lamon in another.

"President Trump says the election was stolen, and he's right," said Ohio Senate candidate Bernie Moreno in yet another.

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"Let's go to our panel," said Tapper, turning to NPR White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe. "Trump is putting pressure on these candidates to embrace the Big Lie, the deranged conspiracy theories. Is it a mistake for these GOP candidates to be looking backward rather than forward?"

"I mean, I think in the short term it probably is not a mistake if you're only looking at it politically," said Rascoe. "For the sake of the democracy, in this country, you know, to continue to make people doubt elections is not good, full stop. But for them politically, this is where their base is. Their base believes the lies. Their base believes that, you know, Biden is not the rightful president. So they are playing into that and by doing that, it's also showing the association, right? It's saying, I'm one of you. You believe this. I do, too. I am with — and most of all, I'm with trump. So you can vote for me."

Watch below:

CNN panel discusses GOP Senate candidates pushing the Big Liewww.youtube.com