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The General Services Administration has declared President-elect Joe Biden the “apparent” winner of the US election, paving the way for the formal transition from the Donald Trump administration to begin after weeks of delay.
The GSA said Monday that it had determined that Biden was the winner of the November 3 race after weeks of Trump refusing to budge and violating the traditions of the transition of power in the White House.
Trump said on Twitter that he had directed his team to cooperate in the transition, but vowed to continue fighting the election results, despite the lack of evidence of widespread electoral fraud.
Emily Murphy, who heads the GSA, said she made the determination based on “the law” and “facts.”
“Please know that I made my decision independently, based on the law and available facts. I was never pressured directly or indirectly by any executive branch official, including those working in the White House or GSA, regarding the substance or timing of my decision, ”Murphy wrote in a letter to Biden.
Murphy had faced mounting pressure from Democrats and some Republicans to allow the transition to begin, as Trump’s efforts to challenge the results in numerous battle states failed.
A federal judge in Pennsylvania launched a Trump campaign lawsuit on Saturday that sought to prevent certification in that state. And on Monday, Michigan certified Biden’s victory, despite an unprecedented push from the president last week to undermine that measure and allow an audit of the ballots in Wayne County, where Biden won by more than 330,000 votes.
GSA certification is a process that in typical election years occurs without fanfare or discussion shortly after the race is called by the mainstream media.
Murphy’s refusal to declare Biden the winner weeks after the election prevented Biden’s transition team and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris from accessing federal funds and meeting with government officials to prepare for the inauguration on the 20th. from January.
The delay was particularly concerning given the urgent and unprecedented tasks facing the federal government amid a pandemic and a significantly worse economic crisis. The United States should also begin work to prepare for a national launch of Covid-19 vaccines. There were also major concerns about the possible national security implications of a delayed transition, which prevented Biden from having access to classified reports.
After Murphy’s letter was released, Trump tweeted: “We will keep up the good fight and I believe we will prevail! However, in the best interest of our country, I recommend that Emily and her team do whatever is necessary regarding the initial protocols, and I have told my team to do the same.
Trump’s legal team dismissed the certification as “simply a procedural step” and insisted he would keep fighting.
Yohannes Abraham, executive director of Biden’s transition, said in a statement Monday that the GSA move “is a necessary step to begin addressing the challenges facing our nation, including controlling the pandemic and recovering our nation. economy”.
He added: “In the coming days, transition officials will begin meeting with federal officials to discuss the response to the pandemic, have a full accounting of our national security interests, and gain a full understanding of the Trump administration’s efforts to empty government agencies “.
With the GSA allowing the formal transition to begin, more Republicans began to recognize the reality that Biden is president-elect.
“President Trump’s legal team has presented no evidence of the massive fraud that would have had to be present to annul the election.” said Bill Cassidy, Republican Senator from Louisiana. “I voted for President Trump, but Joe Biden won.”
Most Republican senators have refused to acknowledge Biden’s victory, arguing that Trump should be allowed to continue his cases in court, despite the lack of evidence of widespread fraud that would change the outcome of the contest. . Since the Associated Press and other news organizations across the country declared Biden the winner on November 7, five days after the polls closed, Trump and his allies have continued to spread misinformation and unfounded conspiracy theories, seeking to undermine legitimacy. of the vote by mail falsely claiming the election was “stolen.”
However, Trump campaign audits, recounts and court cases have not led to significant changes in the election results, and in some cases, Biden’s lead has only increased. The justices repeatedly rejected the cases of Trump’s campaign team.
But the false accusations of fraud led some electoral officials to seek to delay the certification of the vote. The city commissioner’s office in Philadelphia, where the count took days, reported facing death threats, and Trump supporters have staged protests in front of election offices across the United States.
Murphy’s letter arrived the same day that Biden announced his selection to several key cabinet positions. The president-elect said he would appoint Tony Blinken as secretary of state, Jake Sullivan as national security adviser and John Kerry as “climate czar,” suggesting a return to Obama-era priorities.
Biden also selected Alejandro Mayorkas as secretary of national security. If confirmed, he would be the first Latino and migrant to fill the position. In addition, he chose Avril Haines to be the first director of national intelligence and Janet Yellen to be the country’s first secretary of the Treasury.
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