Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held a press conference and refused to say of the State Department would help President-Elect Joe Biden's transition team. Pompeo said that he instead expects a smooth transition to a "second Trump administration."
President Trump has disputed the election results and many of his Republican allies are supporting his idea about the results of the election, he is now challenging the counts in key swing states.
But Pompeo's statement went further than others, by suggesting that the legal challenges filed by the Trump administration to the Supreme Court will end up in President Trump's victory.
Legal experts have stated that Trump's claims are weak and even President Trump's allies in Congress concede the lawsuits are unlikely to change the outcome of the election.
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Fox News, The Associated Press and other media outlets declared Joe Biden as the winner on November 8. Pompeo's remarks were also startling because they come as world leaders were privately and publicly congratulating Joe Biden on his election win.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a call to President-Elect Joe Biden on November 10. A spokesman for Prime Minister Johnson said that he warmly congratulated Joe Biden on his election as President of the United States. They talked about the relationship between the two countries and had committed to building on their partnership in the next four years.
Pompeo was asked during a news conference if the State Department would cooperate with Joe Biden's transition team, and if the State Department won't, what risk would it pose to the U.S national security.
Pompeo then said that there will be a smooth transition to a "second Trump administration" and that they are ready as the world is watching what is happening and they are going to count all the votes.
Pompeo's backlash
Immediately after the news conference, Pompeo received heat from the public and his colleagues. An anti-Trump conservative, Bill Kristol, posted on his Twitter and said "be alarmed."
Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat from Virginia and a former CIA officer, posted on her Twitter account and said that Pompeo's remark was shocking, shameful and dangerous.
Rep. Spanberger added that the country's free and fair elections and their commitment to the peaceful transition of power have long been the foundation of America's strength and their example to the world, yet Pompeo is denying the results of the elections.
During his news conference, Pompeo also said that it was "ridiculous" to ask whether President Trump's refusal to accept defeat will undercut the State Department's message to other countries to hold free and fair elections.
Pompeo told the Reuters reporter who posed the question that it is ridiculous and that the question was asked because the reporter knows it is ridiculous.
Currently, a Trump appointee has refused to affirm Joe Biden's electoral win. This refusal is preventing Biden's team from beginning its official transition.
Emily W. Murphy, the head of the federal General Services Administration, has still not signed the documents needed to recognize Joe Biden's win. This move has blocked his staff from accessing federal funding, briefing materials and office space to help prepare for the transfer of power.
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