evidence: "Mail-in voting is totally corrupt," Trump falsely claimed in February at a campaign rally in Michigan. "Get that through your head. It has to be." [...] With polls predicting neck-and-neck races in crucial battleground states, Trump and his allies have sought to retool their message around early and absentee voting in recent months while still trying to hold on to the hard line Trump drew against those practices in 2020. [...] Asked about Trump's comments against mail-in voting, Whatley claimed the Republican Party is investing a significant amount of resources "protecting the vote" to ensure "election integrity" so voters can trust the system.