Biden plans move into White House as Trump clings to hope
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[November 11, 2020]
By Andy Sullivan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect
Joe Biden will further lay the groundwork for his new administration on
Wednesday as President Donald Trump pursues a flurry of lawsuits
challenging the election results in an effort to cling to power.
Trump has declined to concede, instead lodging unsupported charges of
election fraud that have gained little traction. His campaign said on
Tuesday it planned to file a lawsuit in Michigan to halt the state from
certifying its results, a day after it brought a similar action in the
battleground state of Pennsylvania.
Judges so far have tossed out lawsuits in Michigan and Georgia brought
by Trump's campaign, and legal experts say the litigation has little
chance of changing the outcome of the Nov. 3 election.
Some 80% of Americans, including half of Republicans, say Biden is the
rightful winner, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday.
Trump suffered another possible setback on Tuesday when Democrats on the
House of Representatives Oversight Committee said a postal worker who
claimed he witnessed ballot tampering in Pennsylvania had recanted his
allegations, according to the Postal Service's internal watchdog.
The Trump campaign had attempted to use the postal worker's statement to
promote an FBI investigation. Meanwhile, Trump supporters raised more
than $136,000 for him on the fundraising website Go Fund Me, but the
page was removed after news broke that he recanted his statement, the
Washington Post reported.
Biden plans to meet with advisors on Wednesday who are helping him
prepare to take office on January 20, 2021.
He has tapped finance, trade and banking regulation experts for his
transition team that range from core Democrats to progressive activists,
reflecting ongoing debate within the party about how to address climate
change, wealth inequality and other issues.
Biden is also tapping people who crafted tougher environmental rules
while serving under President Barack Obama.
Biden secured the presidency on Saturday after television networks
concluded he had won Pennsylvania and Nevada, giving him 279 Electoral
College votes, more than the 270 needed to take the White House.
The outcome is still undecided in several states. Trump leads 50.0% to
48.7% in North Carolina, while Biden leads 49.5% to 49.2% in Georgia and
49.4% to 49.0% in Arizona, according to Edison Research.
Nationwide, Biden is leading Trump by 3.2 percentage points or nearly 5
million votes as final tabulations trickle in.
Recounts are expected in several states, though they are unlikely to
change the outcome.
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President-elect Joe Biden said on Tuesday that nothing would stop
the transfer of power in the U.S. government, even as President
Donald Trump says without evidence that last week's election was
marred by fraud and some of his Republican allies back
investigations. Lisa Bernhard produced this report.
In order to remain in office, Trump would need to win all three
undecided states plus overturn the results in one or more states
already in Biden's column.
Trump's fellow Republicans have largely stuck with him, saying he
has a right to contest the result. But privately, some say Trump has
a limited amount of time to make his case.
Trump will place a memorial wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday to mark Veterans
Day. It will be his first public appearance, other than two golf
outings, since an angry White House news conference last Thursday.
Biden says Trump's refusal to admit defeat - a break from
traditional norms - is not affecting his plans. He said on Tuesday
he thought it was an "embarrassment" that Trump had not conceded.
The Trump administration is not cooperating with Biden's team.
Government analysts have been instructed to continue assembling a
budget proposal that would be released in February, after Trump is
due to leave office.
The Biden transition team has been unable to move into federal
government office space or tap funds to hire staff because a Trump
appointee who heads the federal office charged with recognizing
election results has not yet done so.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday predicted a "second
Trump administration," in comments at odds with congratulatory phone
calls from the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Ireland to
Biden.
Trump installed loyalists in top positions at the Pentagon, one day
after firing Defense Secretary Mark Esper, which could potentially
make it easier to use U.S. troops to respond to domestic protests.
(Reporting by Andy Sullivan; Additional reporting by Jan Wolfe and
Jeff Mason; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
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