GOP lets Trump fight election for weeks despite Biden's win
WASHINGTON— Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday there' s“no reason for alarm” as President Donald Trump, backed by Republicans in Congress, mounts unfounded legal ch allenges to President-elect Joe Biden's election victory — a process that could now push into December.
Republicans signaled they are willing to let Trump spin out his election lawsuit sand unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud for the next several weeks, until the states certify the elections by early December and the Electoral College meets Dec. 14.
McConnell' s comments show how hard Republicans are trying to portray Trump's refusal to accept the election results as an ordinary part of the process, even as it's nothing short of extraordinary. There is no widespread evidence of election fraud; state officials say the elections ran smoothly. The delay has t he potential to up end civic norms, impede Biden's transition to the White House and sow doubt in the nation's civic and election systems.
Trump remained out of sight at the White House, tweeting his views, but the social media company Twitter swiftly flagged the president's tweets that he actually won the election as disputed.
“It' s not unusual, should not be alarming,” McConnell told reporters on Capitol Hill. “At some point here we'll find out, finally, who was certified in each of these states, and the Electoral College will
determine the winner. ... No reason for alarm.”
Democrats were livid, saying McConnell and Republicans in Congress are so afraid of Trump they are willing to risk the nation's tradition of an orderly transition.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the president is “undermining faith in our elections.”
Bi den, takingqu esti ons from reporter sin Delaware, called the president's refusal to concede an “embarrassment.”
“How can I say this tactfully?” Biden said. “I think it will not help the president's legacy.”
Bid en said he understands Trump voters' “sense of loss .” But he said, “They understand we have to come together. ... We can pull the country out of this bitter politics.”
Trump's GOP allies in Congress have largely declined to con gr atulate Bid en, backing up Trump's efforts to pursue legal challenges, even t hough privately many Republicans doubt he has any legitimate path to change the outcome.
Republicans are increasingly pointing to
a December deadline to allow Trump space to exhaust his legal challenges. That's when the states face a deadline to certify results and a Dec. 14 deadline for the Electoral College to cast its votes. It's also about the time it took to resolve the 2000 election dispute between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore.
Yet, unlike the BushGore election, which was held up over hundreds of contested ballots in one state, Florida, Trump's team is challenging the outcome in several states with tens of thousands of ballots. Trump would need to produce ample evidence of impropriety to undo Biden's lead, which appears unlikely.
Later, after a closeddoor lunch with Vice President Mike Pen ce and Senate Republicans, McConnell insisted ,“I don't think we're going to have an uninterrupted transition.”
Democrats, meanwhile, are pushing ahead in preparation for the Biden administration, particularly the president-elect's immediate roll out of a sweeping COVID-19 plan.