Biden says nothing will stop transition

President-elect Joe Biden says it is an "embarrassment" that Trump has not conceded the election....
President-elect Joe Biden says it is an "embarrassment" that Trump has not conceded the election. Photo: Reuters
President-elect Joe Biden says nothing will stop the transfer of power in the US government, while President Donald Trump pursued lawsuits in several states in a long-shot bid to hold on to power.

Trump's campaign said it would file a lawsuit to stop Michigan from officially certifying Biden as the winner there until the state could verify that votes were cast lawfully, the latest in a flurry of lawsuits in battleground states to try to back up Trump's unsupported claims of widespread fraud.

Legal experts have said Trump's litigation has little chance of changing the outcome, and state officials have said there were no significant irregularities in the November 3 election.

Meanwhile, Trump' supporters faced a possible setback in Pennsylvania. A witness who had raised accusations of ballot tampering recanted his allegations, according to Democrats in Congress who were briefed on the investigation.

Trump's accusations of fraud did not appear to be gaining traction with the public. Nearly 80% of Americans, including more than half of Republicans, recognise Biden as the winner, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Top Republicans in Congress, including Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, said Trump had a right to challenge Biden's victory, and others echoed the president's unfounded accusations of widespread fraud. Privately, some aides said Trump would need to produce credible evidence soon to retain their support.

Biden secured more than the 270 votes in the Electoral College needed to take the presidency by winning Pennsylvania on Saturday after four tense days of counting, which was delayed by a surge in mail-in ballots due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden said in a speech in Delaware that his team was pushing ahead with forming a new administration to take over on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2021, no matter what.

"We're going to be going, moving along, in a consistent manner, putting together our administration, the White House, and reviewing who we're going to pick for the Cabinet positions, and nothing's going to stop that," he said on Tuesday.

Biden said it was an "embarrassment" that Trump has not conceded the election.

Taking questions from the media for the first time since his victory, Biden was asked what he would say if Trump were watching. He said: "Mr President, I look forward to speaking with you."

Donald Trump is pursued lawsuits in several states. Photo: Reuters
Donald Trump is pursued lawsuits in several states. Photo: Reuters

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo predicted a "second Trump administration," in comments at odds with congratulatory phone calls from the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Ireland to Biden.

Trump installed loyalists in top positions at the Pentagon, one day after firing Defence Secretary Mark Esper, which could potentially make it easier to use US troops to respond to domestic protests.

The Biden transition team has been unable to move into federal government office space or tap funds to hire staff because a Trump appointee who heads the federal office charged with recognising election results has not yet done so.

"The whole Republican Party has been put in a position with a few notable exceptions of being mildly intimidated by the sitting president," said Biden, who chuckled when asked about the Pompeo remarks.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a conservative whose blustery style is often likened to Trump's, said he spoke to Biden on Tuesday by phone about working together on priorities like climate change, promoting democracy and recovering from the pandemic.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan also congratulated Biden, a former vice president now heading to take over the White House after almost five decades in politics.

'THEATRICS'

Judges have tossed out election lawsuits in Michigan and Georgia brought by the Trump campaign.

Trump's campaign and Republicans have mostly sued over claims of procedural problems with vote counting and have not presented evidence of fraud in their lawsuits.

Bob Bauer, a senior Biden adviser, on Tuesday dismissed the litigation as "theatrics, not really lawsuits." He said statewide recounts since 2000 had resulted in an average of 430 changed votes, not nearly enough to change the outcome in the states where Biden won this year.

The law firm Jones Day, which has served as outside counsel for the Trump campaign, said it is no longer working with the campaign or others contesting the election results.

The campaign sued in federal court on Monday to block officials in Pennsylvania, one of the hardest-fought states in a deeply divided nation, from certifying results there.

Republican state lawmakers in Pennsylvania urged an audit of the election results. "We've just gotten a lot of allegations," State Representative Dawn Keefer told reporters.

Some of those allegations rest on a whistleblower report from a US Postal Service worker who claimed that illegal back-dated postmarks may have been added to some late mail-in ballots.

However, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee said that worker had recanted his allegations, according to the Postal Service's internal watchdog. That office declined to comment.

Democrats voted more by mail than Republicans did in much of the country after Trump repeatedly and without evidence called voting by mail unreliable.

Attorney General William Barr, a Trump appointee who heads the Justice Department, told federal prosecutors on Monday to pursue "substantial" allegations of election irregularities, in a break from previous policy.

Barr told prosecutors they should not pursue "fanciful or far-fetched claims."

The Justice Department's top elections official, Richard Pilger, resigned in protest.

Comments

Might want to wait until ALL the votes are counted. Until Trump concedes or the senate has more than 270 certified votes pledged by electors, Biden is a candidate. Maybe Biden wins, maybe he doesn't, the process has started and must be followed iaw the constitution. Let things play out legally if you want to see more civility between Republicans and democrats. There needs to be some semblance of legitimaticy in the elections and right now there isn't any!

"Nearly 80% of Americans, including more than half of Republicans, recognise Biden as the winner, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll."
What !!! You expect us to believe polls !!! Now that is funny.
"Defence Secretary Mark Esper, which could potentially make it easier to use US troops to respond to domestic protests."
Rubbish !!! There are clear laws about the use of the US military and any officer can refuse an order that is that is unlawful.
The media is getting more outlandish in its claims.
They are the dividers and haters. Not Trump.
Judging by their squeals, something is starting to bite !!!!

I'm going to really enjoy these Nazis being marched off to jail. tRump knows that he's toast without the protections being President provides him, and the others all need him to be President so that he can pardon them when their crimes are revealed.
Lock them up, lock them up, lock them up.

GOP unexpectedly gained ground in the House. ( GOP up 6 seats )
ouch, the polls were wrong again. Why is that ???

HAND RECOUNT ORDERED: Georgia To HAND RECOUNT Ballots To Secure Election Integrity. Nov 12, 2020.

Trump wins Alaska, Dan Sullivan reelected to Senate. Nov 12, 2020.

Senatorial win in North Carolina for incumbent Thom Tillis (R), which according to some polls was unexpected. (some polls = media polls) Nov 11, 2020.

Representative For Arizona's 4th Congressional District, Paul Gosar. Nov 12, 2020.
"probably 65,000 votes still to be counted mostly from rural areas. The President is down just 15,000, so still a lot of opportunity".
"a big change over in Michigan regarding the glitch found on the Dominican counting software of 16,500 votes. Now that is not a glitch, that is a problem and it is that same software that is being used in Arizona."

Looks to me like there will be more HAND RECOUNTS to come, with full access to observers, happening soon.

"Biden says nothing will stop transition"
Really !!! What's next Joe ???

I love your passion, commitment and never say die attitude. Well-done, keep it up.