McConnell acknowledges Biden as president-elect after electoral college vote
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell publicly acknowledged that Joe Biden is president-elect for the first time Tuesday after six weeks of avoiding the issue.
“Our system of government has processes to determine who will be sworn in on January 20,” McConnell said in a speech on the floor of the Senate. “The electoral college has spoken.”
He then congratulated Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
McConnell also noted Harris’ historic accomplishment of becoming the first female vice president, saying “all Americans can take pride in the fact that our nation has a female vice president-elect for the very first time.”
Since the election, most Republicans on Capitol Hill have refused to acknowledge that Biden won the election, defying years of tradition as President Donald Trump’s campaign unsuccessfully attempted to challenge the results in a number of swing states. It is still unclear whether McConnell has personally congratulated Biden, even though the two were long-time colleagues in the U.S. Senate.
However, McConnell has asked his fellow Republican senators to avoid a last-ditch effort to overturn the outcome of the election when the votes from the electoral college are ratified next month, according to the New York Times. Some members of the House of Representatives have said they intend to object to the results, but the effort is extremely unlikely to succeed.
McConnell has faced backlash over his previous refusal to acknowledge that Biden had won the election. Critics argued he was providing political cover for a quixotic campaign to find non-existent proof of widespread voter fraud.
As the Trump campaign waged failed lawsuits and called for recounts in states like Georgia, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, McConnell held fast to his position that Trump was within his rights to challenge the results in the courts and that the election would be determined by the institutions in place.
“I look forward to finishing out the next 36 days strong with President Trump,” McConnell said. “Our nation needs us to add another bipartisan chapter to this record of achievement.”
Before mentioning Biden in his speech, McConnell touted the accomplishments of the Trump Administration, talking about the COVID-19 vaccine, trade policy, changes in the Middle East and the appointment of conservative judges and Supreme Court justices.
“President Donald Trump has repeatedly surprised the skeptics, confounded his critics and delivered significant policy victories that have strengthened our country,” McConnell said.
This story was originally published December 15, 2020 at 10:56 AM.
