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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Gino Spocchia

Republican congressman tells Trump to delete his account after wild 46 minute Facebook address

Photograph: AP

A Republican congressman has suggested Donald Trump delete his Twitter account, amid criticism at a pre-recorded speech that alleged the 2020 election was “rigged” against him.

The US president shared the videotaped address to social media on Wednesday, in which he repeated previous attacks on the electoral process, alleged widespread voter fraud, and claimed Democrats were involved in a conspiracy against him.  

Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Representative, shared the US president’s speech on Twitter and wrote that it was “Time to delete your account”.

Mr Kinzinger, who has attacked Mr Trump in the past, wrote last week that allegations about a rigged election were "baseless conspiracy theories."

"The FBI did not rig the election. If you find yourself believing they did, please stop, and say it out loud, and you will realize how silly it sounds,” the Republican wrote. “Donald Trump [is] simply flooding the zone with baseless conspiracies again".  

The White House had published the video, which was said to have been recorded last week in the Diplomatic Room, a day after the United States attorney general ruled that there was no rigged election.

William Barr, the attorney general, had said his justice department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations uncovered no evidence that would have overturned the election, which Mr Trump lost to Joe Biden.

The Department of Homeland Security also declared the presidential race to be “the most secure in American history,” in a report that led to Mr Trump terminating the country’s top cybersecurity official, Chris Krebs.

The president, despite pressure to do so, has so far refused to accept his defeat and continued to push allegations the election was “rigged” or “stolen”.

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