McConnell backs Trump's election legal fight

[NFA] The top Republican in the U.S. Congress on Monday said President Donald Trump was well within his rights to look into charges of "irregularities" in last week's election, which has been called for Democrat Joe Biden, but did not offer any evidence of fraud.

This report produced by Chris Dignam with commentary from Jan Wolfe.

MITCH MCCONNELL: "The president has every right to look into allegations and to request recounts under the law." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Monday that President Donald Trump was well within his rights to look into charges of "irregularities" in last week's election, throwing his support behind Trump’s refusal to concede.

MCCONNELL: "President Trump is 100% within his rights to look into allegations of irregularities and weigh his legal options." In an extraordinary break from the norm, the top Republican in Congress did not acknowledge Democrat Joe Biden as president-elect, nor fellow senator Kamala Harris as vice president-elect, nor did he challenge Trump's claims of widespread voter fraud for which he has offered no evidence.

Two blocks away at Republican National Committee headquarters, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany -- who told reporters she was there in her personal capacity -- MCENANY: "This election is not over." ...announced a lawsuit filed in a Pennsylvania federal court against Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar, seeking an emergency injunction to stop state officials from certifying Biden's victory there.

MATTHEW MORGAN: "This is step one of a process." Trump campaign counsel Matthew Morgan alleged that Pennsylvania's mail-in voting system lacked the oversight and verification present for in-person voters and alleged there was disparate treatment between Republican voters and Democratic voters.

When asked by a reporter if they had proof that fraudulent votes had been cast, McEnany did not directly answer the question.

MCENANY: "What we're asking for right now is patience as we explore these equal protection claims among others." The allegations outlined in the Trump campaign's lawsuit on Monday were not as serious as the claims leveled by the president himself, says Reuters Washington Legal Correspondent Jan Wolfe.

WOLFE: "Legal experts told me there's a disconnect here between what Trump is saying on Twitter and what his lawyers are saying inside the courtroom.

You know, Trump is making claims of broad voter fraud, but none of these lawsuits so far as a Monday have alleged that.

So even if Trump were to win and he's losing most of these cases, mind you, the relief he's requesting would not be enough to tip the election." The Trump campaign and Republicans have brought numerous lawsuits alleging election irregularities.

Judges have already tossed out cases in Georgia and Michigan.