WASHINGTON (AP) – Defending a disorderly fight that could damage Republicans ahead of Georgia Senate runoff, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell warned other Republican senators Tuesday not to join the assault extended by President Donald Trump to the results of the Electoral College.
In public statements and private warnings, McConnell worked to advance into the Biden era and unite a fractured Republican party before the second election this will determine the control of the Senate.
First, the Republican leader praised Trump’s “endless” achievements in congratulating President-elect Joe Biden during a morning speech in the Senate. He then pivoted, warning privately Republican senators not to contest the Electoral College count when Congress convened in a joint session on Jan. 6 to confirm the results.
This fight would produce a “terrible vote” for Republicans, McConnell told senators, according to two people granted anonymity to discuss the call, which was first reported by Politico. They should choose whether to support Trump or respond to him publicly.
Republicans are worried about the ill effects of the second-round election in Georgia, where two incumbent Republican senators, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, face challenging Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in a state he resigned in November for Biden.
McConnell has been a staunch supporter of most of Trump’s efforts. But the turn of events, six weeks after election day, showed that the Kentucky senator, backed by his leadership team, sought to normalize relations with Biden’s next presidency, while avoiding the spectacle of a struggle. on the ground that he would split the party while Trump reluctantly left office.
“I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden,” McConnell said as he opened the Senate.
“Many of us had hoped the presidential election would yield a different result,” he said. “But our system of government has the processes to determine who will be invested on January 20. The Electoral College has spoken.”
Biden told reporters he called to thank McConnell for the statements and that the two had a “good conversation.” When he went out on the campaign in Georgia, he said he told McConnell that there are “things we can work on together.”
The Senate leader took action after weeks of silence followed by other Republican leaders who spoke after the Electoral College voted Monday late. They finally said out loud what many Republicans had been pointing out in private: that Biden he is the winner of the presidential election and they are essentially abandoning Trump’s election attacks.
From here the floodgates were opened. Several Republican senators confirmed they had spoken with Biden, including Trump ally Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Mitt Romney of Utah, the 2012 Republican presidential candidate. Some have had meetings with Biden candidates for administrative positions.
In his phone call, Romney expressed his admiration for Biden’s willingness to endure the rigors of a presidential campaign and serve in the country’s highest office, the senator’s office said. The two also discussed the challenging political environment of the future.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer now said McConnell has spoken, “enough is enough.”
Trump should “end his term with a minimum of grace and dignity,” Schumer said.
For his part, Trump continued to push his baseless claims of “election fraud” in a new tweet Tuesday.
Some Republican lawmakers have vowed to take the fight to Jan. 6 when Congress votes to accept or reject the results of the Electoral College. Others have said Trump’s legal battles should continue toward resolution on the day of the inauguration, Jan. 20.
House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy declined to comment Tuesday when asked if he was willing to recognize Biden as president-elect.
A Republican in the House, Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama, plans to challenge the results of the Electoral College when Congress convenes for the joint session.
At that time, any challenge to Congress should be posed by at least one member of the House and Senate. It is unclear whether any Republican Party senator will join the presentation of the case.
McConnell and his lieutenants, including Mr. John Thune of South Dakota and Roy Blunt of Missouri, warned senators of any challenge to the Electoral College, considering it a dead end, as any action would require the signature of Democrats who they had the majority of the chamber under President Nancy Pelosi, according to one of the people familiar with Tuesday’s call.
Republican Party leaders also warned senators that forcing their colleagues to vote on Electoral College challenges would be difficult, especially for those facing their own re-election in 2022.
No Republican senator spoke out in contradiction.
Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who as chairman of the National Security Committee convenes a hearing Wednesday on election fraud, “has no plans” to join House Republicans and challenge the results, according to spokesman Austin Altenburg .
McConnell surprised Washington on Tuesday when he opened the Senate ahead of the election.
The Republican Party leader called Biden someone “who has been engaged in public service for many years.” He also congratulated Kamala Harris, saying that “all Americans can be proud that our nation has a female elected vice president for the first time.”
McConnell prologued his statements with intense praise of Trump’s four-year term, saying the president kept his promise to “shake Washington.” He cited the appointment of the president and the confirmation in the Senate of three Supreme Court judges, among other achievements.
With states claiming election results, Republicans have made a key decision: to recognize Biden as president-elect or remain silent while Trump wields a potentially damaging campaign to cancel the election..
“At some point you have to face the music,” Thune, the No. 2 leader of the Republican Party, said Monday afternoon. “Once the Electoral College resolves the issue today, it’s time for everyone to continue.”
Historians and election officials have warned that Trump’s unfounded claims of electoral fraud threaten to erode Americans’ faith in the electoral system.
Trump is trying to throw the ballot boxes of thousands of Americans, particularly those who voted by mail, into dozens of demands that have largely failed. His legal team claims irregularities, though Attorney General William Barr, who abruptly resigned Monday, said there is no evidence of widespread fraud. this would alter the election results. State election officials, including Republicans, have said the election was fair and valid.
In a decisive blow to Trump’s legal efforts, the Supreme Court last week refused to take two of his cases challenged the electoral process in key states. About 120 Republicans in the House signed this failed effort.
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Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this story from Wilmington, Delaware.