Published 13:49 IST, December 16th 2020
Senate leader McConnell congratulates Biden, Harris for the first time since poll results
McConnell said that the Electoral College has spoken and he wanted to take an opportunity to congratulate President-Elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on December 15 publicly acknowledged the victory of the President-elect Joe Biden for the first time since President Trump’s contesting of the election results. The Kentucky Republican congratulated Joe Biden and Kamala Harris after the electoral college officially declared the two as the winner of the 2020 US election over incumbent Donald Trump. In his speech on the Senate floor, streamed live by C-Span, McConnell said that the Electoral College has spoken and he wanted to take an opportunity to congratulate President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President elect Kamala Harris. Furthermore, he added, that the President-Elect Joe Biden was no stranger to the Senate and he had devoted himself to public service for several years.
The Senate session began with GOP lawmakers distancing themselves from US President Donald Trump’s incessant and groundless claims of voter fraud and the 2020 elections being stolen from the Republicans. Senate chaplain Barry Black, meanwhile, also acknowledged Joe Biden as the next president of the United States as he said that the senate members respected the conclusions of the Electoral College. His effort was joined by Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), who said, that the lawmakers needed to respect the electoral process that the Founding Fathers had established, adding, that it was, in fact, a victory of the “will of the voters”.
Schumer asks Trump to 'take the cue'
At the White House, though, minutes after McConnell’s Senate floor statement, US President Donald Trump tweeted that the top Republican officials, Republican governor and secretary of state in Georgia were “going to jail”. Trump’s claims were based on unfounded theories of electoral fraud as he said, “Tremendous evidence pouring in on voter fraud. There has never been anything like this in our Country.” Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer dismissed President Trump’s unsubstantiated allegations, saying, that he should take his cue from Leader McConnell that it’s time to end his term with a modicum of grace and dignity, according to Politico. McConnell, who was the GOP leader during the Presidency of Barack Obama, has previously worked with Joe Biden as the two negotiated many deals.
Updated 13:48 IST, December 16th 2020