[MplsTaper]

Yeah but he really needs to keep it up with the three million people who voted illegally. I'm sure there's something there even if many in his party disagree.

Republicans admonished Mr Trump and urged him to drop the matter a day after the closed doors meeting with congressional leaders.

Senator Lindsey Graham called the comments "inappropriate", adding that Mr Trump should "knock this off".

He continued that the president "seems to be obsessed with the idea that he could not have possibly lost the popular vote without cheating and fraud".

"I would urge the president to knock this off," he added.

House Speaker Paul Ryan also said there was no evidence to support his claims.

"I've seen no evidence to that effect. I've made that very, very clear," the Wisconsin Republican told reporters on Tuesday.

Republican Pennsylvania Representative Charlie Dent also weighed in, saying Mr Trump needed to move on and "get to the serious business of governing".

Trump must move on - Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington

Donald Trump just can't let it go. Even with a comfortable electoral college victory over Hillary Clinton last November, his three-million-vote deficit to his Democratic presidential opponent clearly is eating at him. It's an open wound on his psyche that leaves him looking for someone to blame.

How else to explain the president's continued allegations that undocumented immigrants cast millions of illegal votes for his opponent, despite no supporting evidence?

It would be in Mr Trump's interest to simply move on. Or, if he truly feels his concerns are legitimate, to announce a robust effort to investigate what would easily be the biggest electoral heist in US history.

Instead, he has vented his angst in early morning tweets and during closed-door meetings with his members of Congress. The end result is a distracting media frenzy that forces his Republican allies - including Speaker of the House Paul Ryan - to distance themselves from his unsubstantiated accusations.

It's creating a rift within conservative ranks when the one thing Mr Trump needs - in fact, the only thing he really needs to enact his agenda - is party unity.

According to recent media reports, Mr Trump is highly attuned to charges that his presidency was illegitimately acquired. The popular vote loss obviously plays into these perceptions. When George W Bush entered the presidency under similar circumstances, his team was intent on moving forward as quickly as possible. Mr Trump seems determined to do just the opposite.

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http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38737713