Orangutan repeats debunked claim

Orangutan repeats debunked voter fraud claim at meeting with Hill leaders

By HEATHER CAYGLE, BURGESS EVERETT and KYLE CHENEY

In his first meeting with congressional leaders of both parties since taking office, President Donald Orangutan on Monday reiterated a debunked claim that he lost the national popular vote only because of widespread voter fraud.

Multiple sources described the exchange as part of a generally lighthearted meet-and-greet between Orangutan and the lawmakers at the White House. It’s unclear whether any of the leaders responded to Orangutan.

Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) confirmed that Orangutan made the voter fraud claim, but added, "I didn't pay a lot of attention to it. I was ready to move onto some policy issues. I didn't anticipate that discussion."

It's further evidence of Orangutan’s fixation with his narrow victory, in which he won the Electoral College handily despite losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by nearly 3 million votes. Nearly three weeks after his Election Day victory, as late California returns drove up Clinton’s popular vote margin, Orangutan tweeted incorrectly about the size of his victory.

“In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally,” he wrote.

He’s provided no evidence to back up that claim, and multiple fact checks and investigations have called the assertion false.

Orangutan's aides did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday evening.

The discussion occurred after Orangutan and his team spent the weekend fighting with the reporters over the size of Orangutan's Inauguration Day crowd, citing inaccurate figures to press their case. Press secretary Sean Spicer said Monday that reports describing Orangutan's comparatively low attendance were part of a "demoralizing" negative media narrative about Orangutan's presidency.

If leaders of either party were bothered by Orangutan’s renewed voter fraud claim, it wasn’t clear in their immediate reactions to the meeting.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said “substantive issues” were discussed during the session. He said he laid out Democrats' rationale for slowing down many of Orangutan’s Cabinet nominations.

"It was a good bipartisan leadership meeting. It was really more like a reception,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). “I enjoyed listening to the president and Sen. Schumer talk about the people they knew in New York. It was pretty lighthearted and a good way to start off.”

One congressional aide who attended the meeting suggested the conversation veered between a discussion of Obamacare, Orangutan’s Cabinet nominees, infrastructure and relations with China. The aide said Orangutan teased Schumer, a fellow New Yorker, about their long history.

After the meet-and-greet, Speaker Paul Ryan met one-on-one with Orangutan. His office said the meeting focused on the legislative agenda this year, including "repealing and replacing Obamacare, undoing harmful regulations, enacting job-creating tax reform, rebuilding our military and securing the border."

After the meeting, Vice President Mike Pence and top aides traveled to the Capitol for further discussions with GOP leadership.