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Republicans Escalate Effort to Overturn Biden Election Victory
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November 10, 2020
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6:47Now PlayingRepublicans escalated their efforts to overturn Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election, refusing to acknowledge Donald Trump’s defeat, as the president-elect moved more forcefully to make the transition to the White House.
The most significant move came from Attorney General William Barr, who on Monday authorized Justice Department officials to open inquiries into potential irregularities in the presidential election, though he acknowledged there’s no conclusive evidence.
Barr received cover from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who delivered a floor speech earlier Monday saying that the president is “100% within his rights” to challenge the election results. The attorney general’s announcement came after he met with the top Senate Republican at the U.S. Capitol.
The stepped-up legal efforts to challenge vote counts in several battleground states come despite the failure of Trump and his allies to produce evidence that widespread voter fraud occurred and affected the results.
The Justice Department said neither Trump nor anyone at the White House had asked Barr to take action, but some Republican lawmakers signed a letter recently asking him to intervene.
Taken together, Democrats say the moves represent what could be an effort by the federal government to change the results of a U.S. election -- something that would be unparalleled in the nation’s modern history. Trump’s refusal to concede has also bogged down the legal transition process, leaving Biden to hold public events that emphasize his presidential posture.
Trump signaled that he’s emboldened about his chances of a second term. “WE WILL WIN!” Trump tweeted on Tuesday morning.
Trump and his supporters have until Dec. 8 to complete any legal challenges. That’s the so-called “safe harbor” day in order for a state’s electors to be automatically accepted by Congress.
Before Barr’s intervention, the Trump team’s legal push was sputtering. Several lawsuits were thrown out in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Michigan, Arizona and Georgia -- all states where Biden has a lead. The public front-man for the effort has been Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal attorney who railed against media organizations for projecting Biden as the winner over the weekend.
Meanwhile, Biden is forging ahead with forming his government in waiting. He is expected to name a chief of staff as early as this week and plans to make additional policy announcements. After naming his transition’s coronavirus task force on Monday, Biden plans to speak Tuesday on the Affordable Care Act, the same day the Supreme Court takes up a case that could gut the Obama administration’s signature health-care law. Biden has promised to expand it in the face of the worst pandemic in a century.
Late Monday, Biden’s transition team insisted that the Trump administration declare the Democrat as the winner, an act that would release millions of dollars in funding and unlock access to federal resources like secure rooms for intelligence briefings and State Department facilitation of calls with foreign leaders. Transition officials threatened legal action because the law says the resources must be released when there is “an apparent winner.”
At one of a series of news conferences staged by Trump allies since the race was called Saturday, the Republican Party on Monday said it was filing lawsuits over “irregularities” in voting but like others, did not provide any substantial evidence to back up their claims.
“If you are finding these irregularities, if you are being told to backdate ballots, that’s a problem. We’re going to pursue all of this,” Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel said without offering evidence of her claims. “Is it going to be enough? We don’t know. Is it going to take time? Yes, it’s going to take time. But what we are seeing is deeply alarming.”
McConnell also declined to recognize Biden’s victory.
“All legal ballots must be counted, all illegal ballots should not be counted,” McConnell said on the Senate floor. “The process must be transparent.”
Biden has secured 290 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press and networks, more than the 270 required for election. Trump has 213.
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