Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday promised the world a "smooth transition" after the U.S. election but refused to recognize President-elect Joe Biden's victory, saying Donald Trump will remain in power. (Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
'Astounding and Tyrannical': Mike Pompeo Denounced for Vowing Smooth Transition... for Trump's Second Term
"This is a war against America's democracy and against 75 million American voters."
Trump administration officials made clear Tuesday that the White House is still not willing to recognize President-elect Joe Biden as the legitimate winner of the 2020 presidential election, as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he is preparing for a peaceful transition, but only to President Donald Trump's second term--a comment that ignited a fresh storm of disgust, condemnation, and warnings.
"There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration," Pompeo said in a news briefing Tuesday, in what Kristen Clarke of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law called an "astounding and tyrannical statement."
Pompeo's comments came a day after the White House directed federal agencies not to cooperate with Biden's team. The General Services Administration (GSA), headed by Trump appointee Emily Murphy, has been instructed not to sign paperwork releasing $6.3 million in resources which would give Biden's transition officials access to federal agencies.
Other agencies have followed suit, with the Veterans Affairs Department, USAID, and the EPA all telling the Washington Post Monday that they have not commenced the transition process.
An EPA spokesperson told the Post that a transition to the Biden administration was "inappropriate for us to discuss as votes are still being counted."
With Trump's electoral vote count standing at 214 and Biden's at 290, votes are indeed still being counted in Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, and Alaska--but the results of the election in those states would not change the outcome that was declared Saturday by nearly every major news outlet in the country.
It is not unusual for votes to still be counted for several days after an election, contrary to Republicans' claims of malfeasance. The president has also initiated several legal challenges to the election results, including one accusing Pennsylvania officials of running an unfair, "two-tiered" election system by allowing mail-in ballots to be counted after Election Day. Several legal experts have said the lawsuit has no standing.
Pompeo's remarks, which included baseless allegations that "illegal votes" were cast, sparked outrage on social media on Tuesday.
"Real comforting to see the GOP continue to take our democracy and elections as a joke," tweeted Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) of the video of Pompeo's briefing, in which he laughed after commenting on transition to Trump's second term.
Shortly after Pompeo's press conference, the Post reported that the White House budget office is instructing federal agencies to prepare the Trump administration's budget proposal for the next fiscal year, which begins on October 1, 2021--months after Trump is set to leave office.
The move suggests that the administration is planning to issue a budget proposal in February as the White House usually does.
"They're pretending nothing happened," a Trump administration official told the Post. "We're all supposed to pretend this is normal, and do all this work, while we know we're just going to have to throw it away."
Few Republican elected officials have acknowledged Biden's victory in the election, and on Tuesday, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) briskly told reporters that he has not yet congratulated the president-elect because there is "nothing to congratulate him about."
"Trump is declaring his intent to stay in office--despite having decisively lost the election," tweeted foreign policy analyst Rula Jebreal. "The response from Republicans: 'Let's give this a chance and see what happens.'"
"This is a war against America's democracy and against 75 million American voters," she added.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. In a few short weeks, US voters will have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Trump administration officials made clear Tuesday that the White House is still not willing to recognize President-elect Joe Biden as the legitimate winner of the 2020 presidential election, as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he is preparing for a peaceful transition, but only to President Donald Trump's second term--a comment that ignited a fresh storm of disgust, condemnation, and warnings.
"There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration," Pompeo said in a news briefing Tuesday, in what Kristen Clarke of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law called an "astounding and tyrannical statement."
Pompeo's comments came a day after the White House directed federal agencies not to cooperate with Biden's team. The General Services Administration (GSA), headed by Trump appointee Emily Murphy, has been instructed not to sign paperwork releasing $6.3 million in resources which would give Biden's transition officials access to federal agencies.
Other agencies have followed suit, with the Veterans Affairs Department, USAID, and the EPA all telling the Washington Post Monday that they have not commenced the transition process.
An EPA spokesperson told the Post that a transition to the Biden administration was "inappropriate for us to discuss as votes are still being counted."
With Trump's electoral vote count standing at 214 and Biden's at 290, votes are indeed still being counted in Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, and Alaska--but the results of the election in those states would not change the outcome that was declared Saturday by nearly every major news outlet in the country.
It is not unusual for votes to still be counted for several days after an election, contrary to Republicans' claims of malfeasance. The president has also initiated several legal challenges to the election results, including one accusing Pennsylvania officials of running an unfair, "two-tiered" election system by allowing mail-in ballots to be counted after Election Day. Several legal experts have said the lawsuit has no standing.
Pompeo's remarks, which included baseless allegations that "illegal votes" were cast, sparked outrage on social media on Tuesday.
"Real comforting to see the GOP continue to take our democracy and elections as a joke," tweeted Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) of the video of Pompeo's briefing, in which he laughed after commenting on transition to Trump's second term.
Shortly after Pompeo's press conference, the Post reported that the White House budget office is instructing federal agencies to prepare the Trump administration's budget proposal for the next fiscal year, which begins on October 1, 2021--months after Trump is set to leave office.
The move suggests that the administration is planning to issue a budget proposal in February as the White House usually does.
"They're pretending nothing happened," a Trump administration official told the Post. "We're all supposed to pretend this is normal, and do all this work, while we know we're just going to have to throw it away."
Few Republican elected officials have acknowledged Biden's victory in the election, and on Tuesday, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) briskly told reporters that he has not yet congratulated the president-elect because there is "nothing to congratulate him about."
"Trump is declaring his intent to stay in office--despite having decisively lost the election," tweeted foreign policy analyst Rula Jebreal. "The response from Republicans: 'Let's give this a chance and see what happens.'"
"This is a war against America's democracy and against 75 million American voters," she added.
Trump administration officials made clear Tuesday that the White House is still not willing to recognize President-elect Joe Biden as the legitimate winner of the 2020 presidential election, as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he is preparing for a peaceful transition, but only to President Donald Trump's second term--a comment that ignited a fresh storm of disgust, condemnation, and warnings.
"There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration," Pompeo said in a news briefing Tuesday, in what Kristen Clarke of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law called an "astounding and tyrannical statement."
Pompeo's comments came a day after the White House directed federal agencies not to cooperate with Biden's team. The General Services Administration (GSA), headed by Trump appointee Emily Murphy, has been instructed not to sign paperwork releasing $6.3 million in resources which would give Biden's transition officials access to federal agencies.
Other agencies have followed suit, with the Veterans Affairs Department, USAID, and the EPA all telling the Washington Post Monday that they have not commenced the transition process.
An EPA spokesperson told the Post that a transition to the Biden administration was "inappropriate for us to discuss as votes are still being counted."
With Trump's electoral vote count standing at 214 and Biden's at 290, votes are indeed still being counted in Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, and Alaska--but the results of the election in those states would not change the outcome that was declared Saturday by nearly every major news outlet in the country.
It is not unusual for votes to still be counted for several days after an election, contrary to Republicans' claims of malfeasance. The president has also initiated several legal challenges to the election results, including one accusing Pennsylvania officials of running an unfair, "two-tiered" election system by allowing mail-in ballots to be counted after Election Day. Several legal experts have said the lawsuit has no standing.
Pompeo's remarks, which included baseless allegations that "illegal votes" were cast, sparked outrage on social media on Tuesday.
"Real comforting to see the GOP continue to take our democracy and elections as a joke," tweeted Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) of the video of Pompeo's briefing, in which he laughed after commenting on transition to Trump's second term.
Shortly after Pompeo's press conference, the Post reported that the White House budget office is instructing federal agencies to prepare the Trump administration's budget proposal for the next fiscal year, which begins on October 1, 2021--months after Trump is set to leave office.
The move suggests that the administration is planning to issue a budget proposal in February as the White House usually does.
"They're pretending nothing happened," a Trump administration official told the Post. "We're all supposed to pretend this is normal, and do all this work, while we know we're just going to have to throw it away."
Few Republican elected officials have acknowledged Biden's victory in the election, and on Tuesday, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) briskly told reporters that he has not yet congratulated the president-elect because there is "nothing to congratulate him about."
"Trump is declaring his intent to stay in office--despite having decisively lost the election," tweeted foreign policy analyst Rula Jebreal. "The response from Republicans: 'Let's give this a chance and see what happens.'"
"This is a war against America's democracy and against 75 million American voters," she added.