Las Vegas - Former President Jimmy Carter called Donald Trump's claims that the presidential election is "rigged" undermines trust in the U.S. election process.
“The Carter Center has observed more than 100 elections around the world, some of them quite problematic,” Carter said in a statement Wednesday. “However, allegations of potential rigging of U.S. elections, as well as of widespread voter fraud, are baseless, serving only to undermine confidence in our democratic processes and inflame tensions.”
The Georgia Democrat became the latest in a string of high-profile leaders from both parties to call Trump's claims unfounded and irresponsible. The Atlanta-based Carter Center added in a statement that it has "great confidence in the overall administrative integrity" of U.S. elections.
"The Carter Center notes that no election is perfect and that there will be isolated administrative incidents in U.S. elections as in every election conducted around the world," read the statement. "However, these incidents should not call into question the integrity of the entire election."
Trailing in the polls and abandoned by dozens of Republican leaders, Trump has sowed doubts about the integrity of America's vote. He has for months claimed that media bias is influencing the vote for Clinton, but this week he said the vote is also being manipulated.
"The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary — but also at many polling places — SAD," Trump wrote on Twitter on Sunday.
U.S. Sen. David Perdue and U.S. Rep. Doug Collins are among the Georgia Republicans who urged Trump to stop claiming the election is rigged. And Secretary of State Brian Kemp said Georgia elections officials have "earned voters' confidence" though he hasn't criticized Trump.
Top Democrats, meanwhile, have laid into the GOP nominee - and worried he could do lasting damage to the nation's trust in the voting process. President Barack Obama told him to "stop whining." And Hillary Clinton's campaign called it a last act of desperation.
For more of the AJC’s latest on the election:
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