Trump campaign distances itself from attorney Sidney Powell: Transition updates

Democratic Rep. Cedric Richmond of Louisiana officially announced his plans Tuesday to resign from Congress sometime before Inauguration Day so that he can take a senior adviser role in the incoming Biden-Harris administration. 

"The future has a habit of arriving unannounced, and I am here to announce the hardest decision of my life,” Richmond said at a press conference in New Orleans, as Biden separately announced that Richmond would serve as an assistant to the president and director of public engagement. 

The Louisiana congressman joined as the first co-chair of Biden's campaign in May 2019, advising on strategy and serving as a top surrogate, particularly on African American outreach for the former vice president's team. He has been serving in Congress since 2011. 

Richmond said he’s expecting an "orderly transition" despite the Trump administration's continued refusals to recognize Biden as the president-elect.

-ABC News' Mariam Khan

Rudy Giuliani, the president's personal attorney, has filed papers to appear on behalf of the Trump campaign in the federal election lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania.

The request follows the primary lawyer handling the case, Republican attorney Linda A. Kerns, submitting papers with the U.S. District Court Monday saying she had "reached a mutual agreement that Plaintiffs will be best served" if she withdrew.

She's the second lawyer helping lead Trump's effort to contest the outcome of the 2020 election who has asked to step aside, according to federal court filings.

The president installed Giuliani to lead legal efforts he has mounted to resuscitate his failed bid for a second term in office, a move that came after a series of defeats in court on Friday.

-ABC News' Matthew Mosk and Alex Hosenball

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will join Biden’s transition briefing on national security remotely from Washington, D.C., according to an aide.

She joined Biden in-person at The Queen Theater in Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday for their first joint remarks on the economy since they were projected winners of the election. 

-ABC News’ Averi Harper

Biden, forging ahead with his transition despite Trump's refusals to concede, has named new members of his senior White House staff, bringing several of his closest campaign advisers into the fold. 

“I am proud to announce additional members of my senior team who will help us build back better than before," Biden said in a release Monday. "America faces great challenges, and they bring diverse perspectives and a shared commitment to tackling these challenges and emerging on the other side a stronger, more united nation."

Biden announced the following:

• Mike Donilon, senior adviser to the president
• Jen O’Malley Dillon, deputy chief of staff 
• Dana Remus, counsel to the president 
• Steve Ricchetti, counselor to the president
• Cedric Richmond, senior adviser to the president and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement 
• Julie Rodriguez, director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs 
• Annie Tomasini, director of Oval Office Operations 

While the former vice president has touted he pledged to build a diverse administration, five of the seven staffers are white, though women outnumber the men on the list. Notably missing from the list are any communication staffing announcements.

Also on the list are some members of Jill Biden’s staff, who worked with her during the campaign:

• Anthony Bernal, senior adviser to Jill Biden
• Julissa Reynoso Pantaleon, chief of staff to Jill Biden

-ABC News’ Molly Nagle