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The President of the United States, Donald Trump, approved the formal transfer of power to President-elect Joe Biden.
Trump said the federal agency overseeing the handover must “do whatever it takes,” even as he pledged to continue to challenge his defeat in the presidential election on 3 this month.
The General Services Administration said it recognized Biden as “the clear winner.”
This came just as Biden’s victory in Michigan was officially approved, a huge blow to Trump.
The Biden team welcomed the start of the transition process.
“Today’s decision is a necessary step to begin addressing the challenges facing our nation, including controlling the epidemic and returning our economy to its rightful path,” his statement said.
“This final decision is a crucial administrative measure to officially begin the transition process with federal agencies,” he said.
What did Trump say?
Trump tweeted that he had informed the Public Services Administration, which is tasked with initiating the official presidential transition, to inform Camp Biden that the process would begin.
Chief Administrative Officer Emily Murphy said she would make $ 6.3 million of his tenure assets available to the president-elect.
While promising to continue the ‘good fight’, the president said, “However, for the good of our country, I recommend that Emily and her team do whatever is necessary regarding initial protocols, and I have told my team that do the same. “
Murphy, appointed by Trump, referred to “recent developments involving legal challenges and testimony of election results” in her decision to send the letter.
“To be clear, I have not received any instructions to delay my decision,” Murphy said in his letter to Biden.
“However, I have received threats online, by phone and in the mail directed at my safety, my family, my staff and even my pets, in an attempt to force me to make this decision prematurely,” he added.
He stressed that, “even in the face of thousands of threats, I remained committed to respecting the law.”
He has faced criticism from both sides for failing to initiate the transition process faster, a process that is often a routine step between the elections and the inauguration of the winner of the elections.
Murphy missed the deadline set Monday by Democrats in the House of Representatives to inform lawmakers of the delay.
Did the Republicans apply any pressure?
Trump’s fellow Republicans began to divide increasingly during the transition period, with many of them speaking out on Monday.
Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander issued a statement saying Trump should “put the country first” and help Biden succeed.
“When you’re in public life, people remember the last thing you did,” Alexander added.
Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia said that “at some point, the 2020 elections must end.”
He also urged more than 160 business leaders to immediately recognize Biden as president-elect.
“Withholding vital information and resources from a future administration endangers the public health, economy and security of the United States,” they wrote.
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Biden’s victory must be approved by the US Electoral College on December 14.
What happened in Michigan?
One of the two Republicans from the Michigan State Council of Democrats joined in to put the final touches on the result. The other Republican abstained from voting. Biden won the state with more than 150,000 votes.
The abstaining Republican councilor, Norman Schinkel, suggested delaying ratification of irregularities that affected a few hundred votes in one county.
But his Republican colleague Aaron Van Langfield said Monday his duty was “simple” and there was no choice but to testify.
The president’s Republican allies had called for a two-week delay in ratification, in order to scrutinize votes in a Democratic-majority county.
Trump’s legal team said it was still challenging Michigan’s findings.
Chancellor Gina Ellis said the approval was “just a procedural step,” adding that “Americans must be sure that the final results are fair and legitimate.”
But time is running out. On December 14, Biden will be approved by the electoral college.
2020 US Election Results: How Did Former Presidents Leave the White House?
What about Trump’s other legal challenges?
Trump and his allies have suffered a series of judicial defeats in key states as they rush to challenge the results.
And in Wisconsin, a partial recount is taking place at the request of the Trump campaign.
Election officials accused Trump supporters of blocking the state’s recount.
They said that in some cases, Trump watchers had stabbed each ballot to intentionally slow down the process.
And in Pennsylvania, a Republican judge ruled Saturday that the Trump campaign had attempted “to deny nearly seven million voters the right to vote,” without actual evidence. The president’s attorneys have now appealed to the Philadelphia Court of Appeals.
The president’s other legal efforts in the state failed to change Biden’s leadership by nearly 80,000 votes.
The Trump campaign also called for another recount in Georgia, after a previous recount confirmed that Biden had won the state.
