The federal government of the United States recognized President-elect Joe Biden as the “apparent winner” of the Nov. 3 election, formally starting the transition of power. President Donald Trump, who has spent the past few weeks in a seemingly futile effort to overturn election results, finally relented after suffering yet more legal and procedural defeats.
Michigan on Monday certified Biden’s victory in the battleground state, and a federal judge in Pennsylvania tossed a Trump campaign lawsuit on Saturday seeking to prevent certification in that state.
General Services Administrator Emily Murphy gave the green light Monday for Biden to coordinate with federal agencies ahead of his Jan. 20 inauguration. Murphy, in explaining her decision, cited “recent developments involving legal challenges and certifications of election results.”
Trump tweeted shortly after Murphy’s announcement that he was directing his team to cooperate on the transition.
“We will keep up the good fight and I believe we will prevail! Nevertheless, in the best interest of our Country, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same.”
Yohannes Abraham, executive director of the Biden transition, said the decision “is a needed step to begin tackling the challenges facing our nation, including getting the pandemic under control and our economy back on track.”
Murphy, a Trump appointee, had faced bipartisan criticism for failing to begin the transition process sooner, preventing Biden’s team from working with career agency officials on plans for his administration. The delay denied Biden access to highly classified national security briefings and hindered his team’s ability to begin drawing up its own plans to respond to the raging coronavirus pandemic.
Trump, who has not formally conceded defeat, claims widespread voter fraud in the Nov. 3 election without providing evidence.
Biden won 306 state-by-state electoral votes, well over the 270 needed for victory, to Trump’s 232. Biden also holds a lead of more than 6 million in the national popular vote.
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