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WASHINGTON (BLOOMBERG) – President Donald Trump’s attempt to reject the outcome of the US election was primarily met with silence from Republican leaders in Congress, hours after Democrat Joe Biden was declared the winner.
Immediately after the television networks and the Associated Press called for Biden’s election, top Republican Party officials in Washington, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other members of his leadership team, had not responded to the results, even as some Republican Party-aligned outside groups, such as the US Chamber of Commerce, congratulated the president-elect.
McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, tweeted Friday that all legal votes must be counted and that the courts are available to resolve disputes. But her office did not react to the call for the race when she was contacted on Saturday.
A handful of representatives from the Republican Party, also known as the Republican Party, in the House vigorously defended the president and questioned the results.
Despite his loss to Biden, Trump continues to exert a strong grip on Republican voters that some in the Republican Party say will last beyond his time in the White House, adding risk to any party member who extends a branch. from olive tree to the winning democrat. Many also credit the president for helping vulnerable Republican Senate incumbents get reelected in South Carolina, Iowa and other states.
Now, control of the Senate will be decided in two January elections in Georgia, and Republican leaders will be wary of alienating the party base with quick congratulations to Biden ahead of a Trump concession.
Some of Trump’s most vocal allies in Congress followed the president’s lead by saying that the election has yet to be decided. But most of them did not repeat their previous accusations of widespread fraud.
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, a possible candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, focused on the media organizations that called the election in favor of Biden, saying that is not how the winner will be determined.
“When all the legal votes have been counted, the recounts have been completed and the fraud allegations have been addressed, we will know who the winner is,” Senator Hawley tweeted.
Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, the second Republican leader of the House of Representatives, said on Twitter that there are still “serious legal challenges” to resolve.
“The election is not over until all legal votes are counted and certified,” Scalise tweeted.
Many Republicans turned to the Georgia Senate races, which will determine whether the Republican Party can thwart Biden’s agenda on taxes, spending and climate change.
“A Democratic majority in the Senate would tighten the radical agenda of the left,” Texas Sen. John Cornyn wrote on Twitter.
Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who was heading into a runoff against Democrat Raphael Warnock, referred to the seats as the “last line of defense” for Republicans as part of a call to raise funds on Twitter.
Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, the only Republican who voted to convict Trump and remove him from office at his impeachment in January, was the first Senate Republican to congratulate Biden.
Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, a retiring senior Republican, issued a statement that appeared to be a warning against Trump challenging the end result.
“After counting all valid votes and allowing the courts to resolve disputes, it is important to respect and quickly accept the result,” he said. “The orderly transfer or reassertion of immense power after a presidential election is the most enduring symbol of our democracy.”
In the House, a handful of members of the Republican Party intervened.
Michigan Rep. Fred Upton said on Twitter that it’s time to “bridge the gap.”
“I raise my hand and pledge to work with President-elect Biden and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in Congress to do exactly that,” Upton said in a tweet.
Republican Rep. Tom Reed of New York issued a statement saying that votes should continue to be counted “in a transparent manner.”
“However, out of respect and deference to the moment, I extend my congratulations to President-elect Biden,” Reed said.
But Trump loyalists in the House rejected the media calls in the race, even though that sequence of events is typical.
“The mainstream media, on behalf of their Democratic friends, are trying to convince the American people that this is over,” Rep. Jody Hice of Georgia said in a tweet. “It is not.”
Arizona Republican Representative Andy Biggs unleashed a torrent of invective and false claims against Democrats, Republicans who had never supported Trump, and the media and called on the president’s supporters to protest and take all legal avenues to to struggle.
He also suggested a fight over the Electoral College.
“Those who demand the grace of Trump supporters as we watch the nation stolen from us, deny the danger of a hungry beast that will consume our freedoms and chain the American people,” Biggs wrote on Townhall.com. “We must urge lawmakers to confirm to Trump voters when there is demonstrable manipulation of election results by vote thieves on the left.”
Rather, business groups, including the Chamber, the National Manufacturers Association and the National Retail Federation, signaled that they accepted the result and were ready to move on.
“Manufacturers trust the democratic process and the vote counts are clear enough that the networks have confidently projected a winner,” said Jay Timmons, CEO of the manufacturers group, in a statement. “We promise to continue our leadership, especially as we race toward a vaccine, and we will work with the Biden-Harris administration, along with the new Congress, to achieve economic recovery and American renewal.”
For live results and updates, follow our live coverage of the US elections.
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