Trump news - Republican senators begin to turn on president as Georgia confirms Biden win
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Donald Trump is facing an increasing revolt among Republican senators, with at least three having openly criticised the US president in the last 48 hours.
Mitt Romney, Lamar Alexander and Susan Collins have all called on the US president to give up his attempts to pressurise state election officials into supporting his baseless claims of mass voter fraud.
Several House Republicans, including Liz Cheney, have made similar calls, describing the legal efforts of the Trump campaign as “embarrassing”.
The criticism comes as Georgia’s secretary of state on Friday certified Joe Biden as the winner of the state’s recount. With the official results reported, Brad Raffensperger certified that Mr Biden won the recount by 12,670 votes.
Michigan officials say they see nothing to overturn Biden win — but is all as it seems?
Michigan’s Republican statehouse leadership assured the country they would “follow the law” when it comes to certifying presidential election results after a meeting with the president on Friday.
“We have not yet been made aware of any information that would change the outcome of the election in Michigan and as legislative leaders we will follow the law and follow the normal process regarding Michigan’s electors, just as we have said throughout this election,” the officials said in a statement.
“Michigan’s certification process should be a deliberate process free from threats and intimidation.”
Michigan election officials say they see nothing to overturn Biden win after Trump meeting
‘We have not yet been made aware of any information that would change the outcome of the election in Michigan’
However, late on Friday night the Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield and Representative Jim Lilly were spotted drinking an $800 bottle of champagne at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC, raising suspicions that the meeting with the president had not gone entirely as portrayed.
While the question of who paid for their refreshments and accommodation remains, the president seems confident that “massive voter fraud” would be found in the state as per his Saturday morning tweets. Tweets that were immediately flagged by Twitter as “disputed”.
Joe Biden won the state by approximately 150,000 votes.
Deafening silence from Justice Department
New reporting by The Washington Post notes the skeptical silence of the Justice Department following Rudy Giuliani’s fantastical claims regarding an international conspiracy to steal the election from Donald Trump.
This indicates just how little evidence there is to support the wild claims of Mr Giuliani and his cohorts at Thursday’s press conference.
Current and former officials have described the allegations as “crazy” and have not seen or heard of any evidence of voter fraud, and so despite a willingness to investigate legitimate claims, the department has remained silent.
Similarly, federal law enforcement officials say they too want to avoid being dragged into any investigation that lacks reasonable basis of suspicion.
Biden readies top Democrats for January
President-elect Joe Biden told House and Senate Democratic leaders they should view the Oval Office as theirs once he is sworn in, telling them he will “need” them in order to get things done.
“In my Oval Office, mi casa is su casa,” the longtime Delaware Democratic senator told Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer during their first meeting since he was projected as the general election winner.
The Independent’s Washington Bureau Chief John T Bennett reports.
Biden tells Democratic leaders to expect close work come January as Trump refuses to concede
'I hope we're going to spend a lot of time together,' president-elect tells Schumer and Pelosi
Trump departs golf club
The presidential motorcade has departed Trump National Golf Club.
While he played a round, outside the gate he missed this interaction between a protester and one of his supporters who appears to be wearing a Trump inner-tube/ pool toy.
PSA: Please wear a mask.
12 million Americans have now been diagnosed with Covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, and more than 250,000 have lost their lives.
Why Trump refuses to concede
Edward Norton has received praise for sharing a “perfect” explanation of why, in his mind, Donald Trump has refused to acknowledge his loss in the 2020 presidential election.
It involves “deep, multi-dimensional legal jeopardy”.
Clémence Michallon reports.
Edward Norton shares ‘perfect’ explanation of why Trump has refused to concede election
‘The core of it is that he knows he’s in deep, multi-dimensional legal jeopardy and this defines his every action’
Lara Trump eyes North Carolina Senate run
The wife of Donald Trump’s second son, Eric, and a former Trump campaign advisor, Lara Trump would continue the legacy of MAGA politics under Joe Biden’s administration.
According to The New York Times, she is interested in North Carolina’s Senate seat, which will become vacant on the retirement of the Republican Richard Burr.
Lara Trump might run for senate in 2022. Here’s 7 ridiculous and terrifying things she’s said
Lara Trump is reportedly considering running for Senate in 2022.
RNC and Michigan Republican Party ask for Wayne County ballot audit
The Republican National Committee and the Michigan Republican Party wrote to Michigan's state board of canvassers on Saturday asking it to adjourn for 14 days to allow for an audit of ballots in the state's largest county.
A Michigan official said such an audit was not permitted under Michigan law.
The letter came as Wayne County, which includes the majority-Black city of Detroit, has become a focus of President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 3 November election in states that were decisive in his defeat by Democrat Joe Biden.
Two Republicans on the Wayne County canvassing board attempted to rescind their votes to certify the county's results after Trump himself called them. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, said the certification could not be reversed.
The state board, which includes two Democrats and two Republicans, is due to meet on Monday to certify election results and will have as many as 20 days to do so.
The letter urged a "full, transparent audit" in Wayne county, citing "numerical anomalies and credible reports of procedural irregularities" made by a losing Republican candidate for the Senate.
Asked about the letter on Saturday, Michigan Department of State spokesman Jake Rollow said Michigan law does not permit audits ahead of the certification of election results.
"Audits play a different role in Michigan elections - to examine and identify errors for future improvement," Rollow said in a written statement, adding no evidence of widespread misconduct or fraud had been reported.
Candidates could still request a recount after certification that could change the outcome of the election, he said.
The department on Friday recommended that the state board certify the results, which showed Biden winning in Michigan by 154,187 votes.
It said there were small tabulation and reporting errors but they were "typical human error similar to that which has occurred in past elections" and did not affect the results
Reuters
Long lines at Covid testing centres ahead of Thanksgiving travel, despite health officials’ pleas
Despite pleas by health officials to stay home over the holiday, long lines have formed at coronavirus testing centres across the US ahead of Thanksgiving, as some people insist on travelling.
With cases of Covid-19 soaring across the country, overwhelming hospitals in several states, the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is for people to not travel and instead celebrate only with people in their own household
Nevertheless, lines of cars have formed at testing sites run by states, local governments, healthcare groups, and pharmacies.
Long lines form at coronavirus testing centres ahead of Thanksgiving travel rush
Lack of national coordination for testing means vast tapestry of differing requirements and advice nationwide
Liz Cheney says Trump should provide voter fraud evidence or accept result
Liz Cheney has become the first member of the Republican Party’s congressional leadership to apply any pressure on Donald Trump to concede the election to Joe Biden.
In a statement, Ms Cheney, who represents Wyoming’s at-large congressional district, advised the president that if he cannot prove his claims of electoral fraud he should respect “the sanctity of our electoral process”.
Liz Cheney says Trump should respect ‘sanctity’ of election if he can’t prove claims in court
Ms Cheney is first member of congressional leadership to put any pressure on president about election result
Striking coverage of Trump-by-numbers since the election
Courtesy of The Boston Globe.
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