Inquirer Editorial: Trump's claim of voter fraud was a sham

Turns out the widespread voter fraud president-elect Donald Trump warned the nation of didn't materialize, not even in Pennsylvania where he said voters in "certain areas" of Philadelphia would vote five times.

In a court filing opposing a recount in Michigan, Trump's own lawyers wrote that "all available evidence suggests that the 2016 general election was not tainted by fraud or mistake." A New York Times report last week showed there were very few incidents of fraud, but none rising to the level Trump used to whip his followers into a frenzy.

Yet undeterred by facts, Trump and his crew continue their own brand of fraud with an array of falsehoods. They are attacking immigrants, a popular target for them, by continuing to spin fantastical stories about millions of undocumented people voting in the election as an explanation for Democrat Hillary Clinton's three million-plus edge over Trump in the popular vote.

By now, many have realized Trump banged the drum of a rigged election so loudly because he had to drown out issues about himself, such as his refusal to release his income taxes. Often, he distracted voters from thinking too much about his lack of interest in issues or cohesive plans.

A classic confusing stance was on the federal minimum wage. First, he said he was against raising it. Then, he was for it. Then, he said it should be up to the states. Other slogans about building a wall, locking up Clinton, and draining the swamp are falling out of fashion.

Even more sleight of hand is designed to draw attention away from the damage he and Russia inflicted on our electoral system.

At a victory rally in Hershey two weeks ago, Trump insulted the entire voting and civil rights movements by thanking "smart" African American voters for not voting for Clinton in the numbers they voted for President Obama. He had the gall to say "That was the big thing, so thank you to the African American community." Black turnout was only slightly less in 2016 than it was in 2012.

He also dismissed the Russian hacks of the Democratic National Committee, the Clinton campaign and voter records in Arizona and Illinois.

Those hacks should raise serious questions about future relations with Russia as well as how to protect American elections from foreign manipulation. None of those weighty matters can even be pondered by the administration until Trump admits it is a significant problem. Incredibly, his denials open the nation to more severe disruptions.

His disinformation campaign foreshadows difficult years ahead for voting rights, following an alarming trend among some states to frustrate voter access. Add to that Trump's pick of Alabama GOP Sen. Jeff Sessions as Attorney General. Sessions has called the 1965 Voting Rights Act a "piece of intrusive legislation." If he becomes leader of the Justice Department, can voters trust him to uphold their rights?

This confluence of events make it imperative that voting rights groups sharpen their legal skills to protect Americans' right and duty to pick their own leaders because a Trump administration probably won't.