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US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, poses for a photo at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, USA, November 9, 2020. Stefani Reynolds / Pool via REUTERS
WASHINGTON – The top Republican in the US Congress said Monday that President Donald Trump had the right to investigate charges of “wrongdoing” in last week’s election, which was called for Democrat Joe Biden, but not offered no evidence of fraud. .
Trump, a Republican, has yet to concede defeat two days after Biden garnered enough Electoral College votes state-by-state to win. On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he supported Trump’s launch of a legal fight over allegations of voter fraud.
“President Trump is 100% within his right to investigate allegations of wrongdoing and weigh his legal options,” McConnell said.
McConnell spoke after four Senate Republicans, including a prominent Trump critic, acknowledged Biden’s victory. Before addressing the Senate, he met privately with Attorney General William Barr.
Trump has been saying for months before the Nov. 3 vote that he could only lose if fraudulent votes were cast. Experts say there is no evidence of significant fraud in the US elections.
In a Senate speech, McConnell did not recognize Biden as president-elect or his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, as vice president-elect.
“Let’s not have conferences,” McConnell continued. “No lectures on how the president should immediately and happily accept the results of the preliminary elections of the same characters who have just spent four years refusing to accept the validity of the last one.”
Biden surpassed the threshold of 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency on Saturday after four days of scrutiny. Biden leads in two of the four states that have yet to be summoned, and is ahead with more than 4.4 million votes in the popular vote.
Earlier on Monday, two other Republican senators, Susan Collins and Ben Sasse, congratulated Biden, and Collins emphasized the importance of the transition that ensures the new administration is ready to rule on inauguration day on January 20.
“He loves this country and I wish him every success,” Collins said of Biden in a statement. Collins, who won re-election last week, also said Trump should have a chance to challenge the election results.
Sasse of Nebraska made a congratulatory statement that was published in the Omaha News-Herald.
“Today in our home we pray for President Trump and President-elect Biden, that they will both be prudent in the execution of their respective duties during this important time in our nation,” said Sasse, who has been a critic of Trump.
Collins and Sasse were the third and fourth Republican senators thus far to congratulate Biden, along with Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah, a former presidential candidate.
Most Republican senators have avoided public comment on the result. Some, like Senator Lindsey Graham, have urged him to keep fighting. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy told Fox News on Sunday that “all legal challenges must be heard” before Americans can decide “who won the race.”
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said he was encouraged to see some Republicans congratulate the winning candidate.
“But many, including the Republican leader, have remained silent or have sympathized with the fantasies of the president,” he said in the Senate.
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