Some in GOP call on Trump to concede as he stonewalls Biden’s transition
With less than 60 days until the inauguration, the Trump administration is still refusing to recognize Biden as the president-elect as a small but growing number of Republicans are calling for a full and formal transition process to begin.
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska was the latest to add her voice, slamming Trump’s apparent “pressure campaign” on state legislators to try to overturn election results as “unprecedented” and “inconsistent with our Democratic process” while calling for Biden’s ascertainment in a statement Sunday.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a close confidant of Trump’s who helped him prepare for debates, called his legal team “a national embarrassment” on ABC’s “This Week” following another defeat in a Pennsylvania court over the weekend with a blistering dismissal from the judge.
After the ruling, Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania urged Trump to concede the loss and facilitate the transition process, suggesting that his legacy will be harmed if he doesn’t help unify the country.
Republican Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland, who has publicly feuded with Trump over the federal government’s response to COVID-19, also said Sunday he was more “embarrassed” by others in the party who haven’t spoken out.
Liz Cheney, chair of the House Republican Conference, also asked Trump over the weekend to respect "the sanctity of our electoral process" if he can’t prove his claims of widespread voter fraud, which he’s so far been unable to do.
Even Trump allies like Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, are calling on the Trump administration to give Biden intelligence briefings -- even if they aren’t publicly recognizing him yet as the president-elect.
