Fact Check: Chris West Believes Trump is Still the Legitimate President After Losing in 2020
What We Know
Chris West, who was recently sworn in as the president of the National Sheriffs' Association, has been associated with the broader narrative of election skepticism regarding the 2020 U.S. presidential election. According to a summary list of election deniers and skeptics, West is identified among those who have expressed doubts about the legitimacy of the election results. However, specific statements directly attributing the belief that Trump is the legitimate president to West are not clearly documented in the available sources.
West's participation in events supporting Trump and his claims of election fraud, as reported by Democracy Docket, indicates a leaning towards the narrative that questions the integrity of the 2020 election. However, no direct quotes or public statements from West asserting that he believes Trump is still the legitimate president have been found in credible sources.
Analysis
The claim that Chris West believes Trump is still the legitimate president is based on his association with election skeptics and his past actions. While he has participated in events and discussions that align with the election denial narrative, the lack of direct evidence or explicit statements from West himself makes this claim difficult to verify.
The sources that mention West primarily focus on his role within the National Sheriffs' Association and his past participation in events related to Trump. For instance, the BBC and AP News articles provide context on the broader claims of election fraud made by Trump and his supporters, but they do not specifically cite West's beliefs. Furthermore, the PBS and Politico articles emphasize that claims of widespread voter fraud have been thoroughly debunked, which adds to the complexity of attributing such beliefs to West without direct evidence.
Given that the claim relies heavily on inference rather than explicit statements, it raises questions about the reliability of the sources discussing West's views. The summary list from UCLA (source-1) categorizes individuals based on their actions and statements but does not provide a direct quote or definitive evidence of West's belief regarding Trump's legitimacy.
Conclusion
Verdict: Unverified
The claim that Chris West believes Trump is still the legitimate president after losing in 2020 remains unverified. While West's association with election skeptics and his participation in related events suggest a leaning towards skepticism about the election results, there is no direct evidence or clear statements from him confirming this belief. The lack of explicit quotes or documented assertions makes it difficult to definitively categorize his views.
Sources
- Summary List of Election Deniers & Skeptics-FINAL
- US election 2020: Fact-checking Trump team's main fraud claims
- AP FACT CHECK: Trump's claims of vote rigging are all ...
- The New President of the National Sheriffs' Association ...
- Exhaustive fact check finds little evidence of voter fraud, but ...
- Fact checking Trump's claims about 'election integrity'
- Trump's election fraud claims were false. Here are his ...
- The National Sheriffs Association Could Police Its ...
