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Most Americans have chosen Democrat Joe Biden as the next president of the United States. Still, the incumbent Donald Trump is trying to do everything he can to nullify Biden’s victory on the legal path. All news and updates at a glance:
Barr: no evidence of widespread voter fraud
Tuesday, December 1, 8:20 pm: US Attorney General William Barr has contradicted President Donald Trump and denied allegations of massive fraud in the election four weeks ago. The Justice Department had not found any major irregularities that could have changed the election results, Barr said in an interview with the AP news agency on Tuesday.
Trump’s lawyers rejected Barr’s version. Trump’s attorneys, Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis, announced Tuesday that “there was no trace” of an investigation by the Justice Department. “We have gathered extensive evidence of illegal voting in at least six states.”
Barr said prosecutors and FBI agents across the country were investigating allegations and indications of suspected fraud. “To date, we have not seen any fraud on a scale that could result in a different election result,” Barr said.
The justice minister is considered an important confidant of presidents, so his remarks are likely to hurt Trump particularly. Before the election, Barr, like Trump, suspected that the increased use of vote-by-mail in the Corona year could lead to electoral fraud.
A week after the election, Barr issued a directive to US prosecutors allowing them to investigate “substantive allegations” of voter fraud. With this order, prosecutors were able to circumvent a directive from the Ministry of Justice, which in effect prohibits such a procedure before the official confirmation of the election results. Top election crimes prosecutor Richard Pilger announced his resignation in response to Barr’s order
Trump is suing again against the election result in Wisconsin
Tuesday, December 1, 8:20 pm: Donald Trump makes a new attempt to reverse the result of the lost presidential elections in the US state of Wisconsin. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, attorneys for the president of the United States asked that more than 220,000 postal ballots be ignored because they were submitted illegally. Wisconsin had officially confirmed the results of the presidential election the day before with the victory of challenger Joe Biden in the state.
At the request and at the expense of the Trump team, votes had been counted in two Wisconsin counties. President-elect Biden received a total of 87 more votes. Thus, Donald Trump is still far behind Biden in Wisconsin, who received nearly 20,700 more votes.
Trump’s crown adviser defends himself against criticism
Tuesday, December 1, 3:40 am: Controversial adviser to the crown to current US President Donald Trump, radiologist Scott Atlas, has resigned. In a letter to Trump, he wrote: “I have worked hard and focused on one thing: saving lives and helping Americans overcome this pandemic.”
The radiologist had worked for the United States government since August. According to constant media reports, his contract would have expired after 130 days this week anyway. Now he uses his resignation statement to defend himself against criticism. Atlas himself claimed that he always relied on the latest scientific knowledge and did so “without any consideration or political influence.”
In fact, the doctor had spoken out against the strict containment measures and had questioned the usefulness of the masks. In doing so, he received criticism in particular from another member of the Corona task force in the White House: Prominent immunologist Anthony Fauci has publicly disagreed with Atlas’ views.
In mid-November, following the tightening of crown requirements in states like Michigan, Atlas wrote on Twitter: “It only ends when the people get up.” The tweet was also explosive because just a few weeks earlier, a group of suspects had been arrested who investigators say wanted to kidnap and possibly kill Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer due to Corona’s earlier actions. Atlas later wrote that he did not want to incite violence.
The radiologist wrote in his resignation letter that he wished the “new team” only the best, and was apparently referring to President-elect Joe Biden.
Arizona and Wisconsin confirm Biden’s victory
Monday, November 30, 11:20 pm: Arizona is another highly contested American state that has officially confirmed the outcome of the presidential election with the victory of Joe Biden. Wisconsin officials also confirmed the victory of the US president-elect after a recount in two districts on Monday.
With this, incumbent Donald Trump suffers another setback in his attempts to reverse the result of the November 3 elections by legal means. Biden won in Arizona by about 10,500 votes, in Wisconsin it was about 20,700 votes after a recount. Trump’s attorneys failed in court with lawsuits against the election results.
Trump still claims without proof that he only lost the election due to massive electoral fraud. Previously, major states like Georgia and Pennsylvania had already confirmed the election results.
Confirmation of the election result in Arizona also has the side effect that the majority of Trump’s Republicans in the Senate will drop from 53 to 52 votes. Democrat Mark Kelly, who defeated Republican Sen. Martha McSally, will be sworn in this week because it was a special vote.
The remaining newly elected senators will not be sworn in until early 2021. Whether Democrats or Republicans will have a majority in the Senate will not be decided until two runoff elections in Georgia on January 5.
Trump attacks Republican governor of Georgia
Monday, November 30, 8:46 am: Outgoing US President Donald Trump has verbally attacked the Republican Governor of Georgia. Brian Kemp did “absolutely nothing” to question the outcome of the presidential election in the southern state, Trump complained in an interview with the Fox News channel. He’s embarrassed that he supported Kemp’s application for governor in 2018. Back then, the Republican narrowly prevailed over Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams.
It was the first live television interview Trump has given since Election Day. In Georgia, Joe Biden had outscored the incumbent by about 12,670 votes. This was the first time in nearly 30 years that a Democratic presidential candidate won the state. Trump makes unsubstantiated allegations that illegally cast votes cost him victory in Georgia and other disputed states. In several countries, however, their legal challenges to the results came to nothing.
In Georgia, there are major second-round elections for the two southern state Senate seats on January 5. Democrats expect surprise successes against the two Republican rulers. If the two Democratic candidates win, the Washington Senate would have a 50-50 tie. In this case, the future vice president, Democrat Kamala Harris, decides if there is a tie in the votes.
Who is in control of the Senate is extremely important. Because President-elect Joe Biden couldn’t carry out many of his plans if a Republican-controlled Senate blocked them over and over again. The House of Parliament must not only approve important bills, it must also confirm personal data, such as those of Supreme Court judges or ministers.
Biden introduces an all-female communications team
Monday, November 30, 4:55 am: President-elect Joe Biden has a team of experienced women to communicate in the White House. “Communicating directly and sincerely with the people of the United States is one of the most important roles of a president,” Biden said Sunday (US time).
The prominent role of government spokesperson is occupied by the Democrat with Jen Psaki: she was, among other things, director of communications for the White House and spokesperson for the State Department under former Democratic President Barack Obama. Since the election, Psaki had held several briefings with Biden reporters. It seemed clear and professional. His White House deputy will be Karine Jean-Pierre, who last worked for Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, as Biden put it.
“I am proud to announce the first high-level communications team in the White House to include women today,” Biden said. The “qualified and experienced” candidates bring different approaches and a common will to move the country forward, Biden said. Harris said, “These communication professionals represent our promise to create a White House that reflects the best of our country.”
Biden’s current deputy campaign manager, Kate Bedingfield, will become White House communications director. This gives it a less public role, but one that is important in defining the government’s overall communications strategy. Pili Tobar, in turn, will become Bedingfield’s alternate. A Biden Campaign Team Advisor, Symone Sanders, Will Become the Vice President’s Spokesperson; Ashley Etienne is scheduled to work for Harris as the director of communications.
Around the same time as Biden’s most recent personnel decisions, it emerged that Biden had sprained his right ankle while playing with his German Shepherd and suffered minor stress fractures to his foot. Thus, it can be assumed that the 78-year-old will have to wear a boot-like orthopedic support shoe “for several weeks,” physician Kevin O’Connor said in a statement issued by Biden’s office. Biden may also have to wear it at his planned grand opening on January 20.
