Donald Trump Reportedly Set to Attend Pennsylvania Republicans' Makeshift Hearing on Voter Fraud

Donald Trump was reportedly set to attend a makeshift hearing on alleged voter fraud, hosted by Pennsylvania Republicans. According to The Hill, The Republican Party of Pennsylvania announced plans to hold a conference at the Gettysburg hotel, with the intent to seriously discuss the believed voter fraud. President Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, was set to attend, and there were reports that Trump was also interested in attending.

However, it is now reported that Trump did not attend the event, due to a campaign staffer testing positive for COVID-19. Had Trump traveled to Pennsylvania for the gathering, it would have the first time that he'd left Washington D.C. since the election. Trump has been attempting to battle the results of the election, which has been called for Joe Biden. Most states have already certified their results, even contested states such as Pennsylvania. Nevertheless, Trump is persistent in his belief that widespread voter fraud is the cause of his loss.

While there are some GOP members who side with Trump, many others have criticized Trump's refusal to concede the election. During an appearance on CNN's State of the Union, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan — a Republican — expressed disapproval over Trump's handling of the election results. "I have confidence that on January 20th, the president-elect is going to be sworn in," Hogan said, referring to Biden. "But I'm not sure I could say that I'm confident that the president's going to do the right thing."

"We used to go supervise elections around the world. And we were the most respected country with respect to elections and now we're beginning to look like we're a Banana Republic," he added. "It's time for them to stop the nonsense. It just gets more bizarre every single day."

Notably, the Election Infrastructure Government Coordinating Council issued a statement confirming that the 2020 election was very secure and that there has been no evidence of widespread voter fraud. "The November 3rd election was the most secure in American history. Right now, across the country, election officials are reviewing and double checking the entire election process prior to finalizing the result," the group said, per the BBC.

"While we know there are many unfounded claims and opportunities for misinformation about the process of our elections, we can assure you we have the utmost confidence in the security and integrity of our elections, and you should too," the group — which is made up of senior officials from the Department of Homeland Security and the US Election Assistance Commission, as well as state-level election officials and voting machine industry representatives — added. "When you have questions, turn to elections officials as trusted voices as they administer elections."