Colorado Republican Party Chair Williams predicts civil war if Trump kept from ballot, unproven but ‘blatant fraud’ continues

The chair of the Colorado Republican Party says he doesn’t want civil war, but he’s sees one in America’s future under two scenarios: one, if courts remove Trump’s name from the ballot or, two, if “they’re successfully able to keep engaging” in blatant election fraud (even though Williams or other Republicans have yet to produce evidence for such “blatant fraud”).

“If they’re able to successfully remove Donald Trump from the ballot, for example, or they’re successfully able to keep engaging in some of the blatant election fraud type behavior that they’ve done, then pretty soon you’re not going to be able to resolve your differences through the ballot box,” said Williams on the right-wing Liberty Roundtable podcast Wednesday [here at 29 minutes]. “It will be done, you know, in a civil war, and we don’t want that. No one wants a civil war.”

Williams did not immediately respond to these questions left on his voicemail: Do you have evidence to back up your prediction that a civil war will occur under the circumstances you outline, even if you don’t want one yourself?

Do you know people who are preparing to wage civil war? Will you join the war, even if you don’t want it? If you’re unwilling to resolve differences “through the ballot box” because of “blatant election fraud” that has no basis in reality and therefore cannot be corrected, then is a civil war inevitable?

Williams, a former state lawmaker from Colorado Springs, is a steadfast election denier. He even blames Republican losses in Colorado last year on Democrats “taking advantage” of illegal voting.

Williams went on to tell radio host Bob Bushman, who also said he was concerned about civil war, that “good, honest people don’t want civil war” and “most of us are capable of figuring out ways to avoid those things.”

“But there’s only so much you can do. If those who are in power keep undermining free and fair elections or keep doing things to steal the wealth for the haves, from the have-nots, then, yeah, we’re going to be in a pickle. It’s going to be in a lot of trouble,” said Williams on the podcast. “I think the analogy I can give you is that of what happened right before the Civil War and in 1860’s. Right before beforehand. I think you’re seeing a lot of similar angst and upheaval around the country. And, you know, the solution is quite simple. Just return to what the Constitution says and allow the people to decide. You do that then we’ll have peace and prosperity.”

Other prominent Colorado Republicans cite violent revolt as a possibility for fellow conservatives if their baseless claims of election fraud aren’t accepted as true.

During last year’s Republican primary in Colorado, U.S. Senate candidate Ron Hanks (R-Cañon City) refused to denounce violence as a last resort if election conspiracists like him didn’t get their way. Hanks is now the Colorado Republican Party’s Chairman of the Ballot and Election Security Committee.

Hanks had the following discussion on the topic with the Colorado Times Recorder’s Sean Price at the time:

CTR: “If all your work with election fraud fails, would you condemn a violent response?”
RH: “Well we’re working to make things happen. In fact, there already have been revelations of election fraud, proof of election fraud. So I think your premise is highly flawed at this point.”
CTR: “Would you come out right now and say that there should be no violence in response to any election fraud concerns?”
RH: “Who am I saying this to? What are you even proposing? Who am I supposed to project this to?”
CTR: “Just to anyone who might want to do something violent when they believe there’s been election fraud.”
RH: “No I think my statements stand as they are. My statements are carefully crafted and stated and I stand by every one of them. I’m not really interested in taking your statement and making it my statement.”
CTR: “What do you mean by that?”
RH: “What do you mean ‘what do I mean?’ You just asked me if I would stand up and say no to violence.”
CTR: “And you’re not interested in doing that?”
RH: “My statements come from me. That statement came from you. So I’m not interested in your words. I’m interested in my words.”

Last year, failed southern Colorado GOP legislative candidate, Shelli Shaw, also connected the prospect of civil war to her strong belief that the 2020 presidential election was undermined by fraud.

Editor’s note: This story first appeared on the Colorado Times Recorder website.