Val Demings: Trump willing to ‘cheat to win,’ welcomes foreign election meddling

Rep. Val Demings, Florida Democrat, said Sunday that President Trump is willing to “cheat to win” and welcomes foreign meddling in U.S. elections, claims that Mr. Trump has long disputed.

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joseph R. Biden is considering choosing Ms. Demings as his running mate, according to reports.

Ms. Demings, an African American woman who formerly led the Orlando Police Department, was a House manager during the Senate impeachment trial that acquitted Mr. Trump. Ms. Demings told MSNBC on Sunday that Mr. Trump’s America is the, “scariest America I’ve seen in my lifetime.”

“The president is doing everything he can to instill fear, to further divide us as a nation,” Ms. Demings told MSNBC. “But then remember we’re talking about a president who’s already demonstrated that he will cheat to win, that he will sow disinformation, and does not mind inviting foreign powers to interfere in our elections.”

While Ms. Demings said Mr. Trump is welcoming foreign interference in U.S. elections, the federal government’s counterintelligence director issued a new warning about attempts by China, Iran, and Russia to meddle in politics approximately 100 days from Election Day.

Mr. Biden, who has said his running mate will be a woman, is expected to select his running mate by next week. Ms. Demings framed Mr. Trump’s fear as in stark contrast to what she labeled Mr. Biden’s “plan for the future” involving the coronavirus pandemic and racial justice issues.

The Trump campaign disputed Ms. Demings’ claims.

“It was Joe Biden’s administration that knew Russia was trying to meddle in 2016 and did nothing, and now the Democrat Party is pushing universal mail-in voting, which is an invitation for rampant fraud and interference — including by foreign adversaries, who could capitalize on this less secure system and send counterfeit ballots to voters,” said Matthew Morgan, Trump campaign general counsel, in a statement.