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ILLINOIS (WAND) - Gov. JB Pritzker offered scathing criticism of President Donald Trump's Thursday remarks about the ongoing 2020 election. 

The election between the president and former Vice President Joe Biden, which as of Thursday remains too close to call, has led to President Trump offering accusations about voter fraud. These remarks have been unfounded, as there is no evidence to this point of any fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

"If you count the legal votes, I easily win," the president said in a Thursday night press conference. "If you count the illegal votes, they can try to steal the election from us. If you count the votes that came in late, we are looking at them very strongly." 

There is no evidence of illegal ballots being cast in the 2020 U.S. election. 

The governor's reply to these remarks included some strong words. 

"The President’s pathetic lies tonight are unpatriotic, unprecedented and unstable," Pritzker's statement said. "Election officials will count the votes; it’s the heart of our democracy." 

Republican U.S. lawmaker Mitt Romney, who ran against former President Barack Obama in 2012 for the presidency, issued a statement appearing to echo Pritzker. 

"Counting every vote is at the heart of democracy," Romney said. "That process is often long and, for those running, frustrating. The votes will be counted. If there are irregularities alleged, they will be investigated and ultimately resolved in the courts. Have faith in democracy, in our Constitution, and in the American people."

Five states remained too close to call Thursday night, including Nevada, Arizona, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia. As of 8:02 p.m. Thursday, Biden was leading the president with 253 electoral votes to 214.

President Trump has filed multiple lawsuits related to the counting of ballots in the 2020 election. In Michigan and Pennsylvania, he sought to stop the counting of ballots, while a lawsuit filed in Georgia's Chatham County asked a judge to ensure state laws are followed on absentee ballots. 

The Associated Press reports judges in Georgia and Michigan quickly dismissed lawsuits in those states. The president's campaign did win an appellate ruling to allow party and campaign observers to be closer to election workers as they process mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania.