Republicans urge Trump to allow Biden briefings as election challenges sputter

By Susan Cornwell, Doina Chiacu and Simon Lewis

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President-elect Joe Biden speaks about health care and the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) during a brief news conference at the theater serving as his transition headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. November 10, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

 

WASHINGTON/WILMINGTON, Del. (Reuters) - More Republicans on Thursday broke with President Donald Trump's refusal to cooperate with Joe Biden, saying Biden is entitled to intelligence briefings even if they were not ready to recognize the Democrat as the winner of the Nov. 3 election.

 

Most Republican officials and lawmakers publicly remained behind the Trump campaign's push to contest the result through lawsuits challenging vote counts in individual states as the president, without evidence, claims widespread voting fraud.

 

State election officials have said no widespread fraud occurred.

 

Biden, meanwhile, moved ahead with the work of preparing to govern, speaking with Pope Francis as his fellow Democrats in Congress blasted Republican election "shenanigans" and urged action on the coronavirus pandemic.

 

With a few states still counting ballots, Biden has won enough of election battleground states to surpass the 270 electoral votes needed in the state-by-state Electoral College that determines the next president. Biden is also winning the popular vote by more than 5.2 million votes, or 3.4 percentage points.

 

In their first calls with President-elect Joe Biden since the U.S. election, the leaders of Japan, South Korea and Australia reaffirmed their commitment to tackling climate change and regional security. Gloria Tso reports.

 

A growing number of Republican senators, including John Cornyn, Ron Johnson, James Lankford, Chuck Grassley and Lindsey Graham, urged Trump's administration to allow Biden access to presidential daily intelligence briefings.

 

The president-elect traditionally receives such briefings from the intelligence community to learn of threats facing the United States before taking office.

 

"I don't see it as a high-risk proposition. I just think it's part of the transition. And, uh, if in fact he does win in the end, I think they need to be able to hit the ground running," Cornyn told reporters. He refused to acknowledge that Biden had won, however.

 

When reporters asked Graham, a vocal Trump defender, if the briefings should proceed, he responded, "I think so, yeah."

 

The top House Republican, Kevin McCarthy, opposed the idea.

 

"He's not president right now. I don't know if he'll be president January 20th," McCarthy said, also refusing to concede Biden's victory.

 

The two top Democrats in Congress - House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer - on Thursday urged Republicans to join them in passing legislation to address the pandemic and buttress the battered economy.

 

"The Republicans should stop their shenanigans about an election that President Trump has already lost and focus their attention on the immediate issue at hand - providing relief to a country living through the COVID health and economic crisis," Schumer said.

 

Pelosi said Biden, who has spent five decades in public life as a senator and vice president, "knows the territory" and will be "just fine" in the transition." But she added: "It's most unfortunate that the Republicans have decided that they will not respect the will of the people."

 

Biden, who is set to become the first Roman Catholic U.S. president since John Kennedy in the 1960s, spoke with the pope on Thursday, thanking him for his "blessing and congratulations," his transition team said.

 

Biden told the pontiff he wanted to work together on issues including caring for the poor, addressing climate change, and welcoming immigrants and refugees, it said.

 

PANDEMIC IN FOCUS

Biden has focused on planning his administration, with attention expected to shift to his selections for key Cabinet posts ahead of taking office. His team said Biden was meeting with transition advisers on Thursday in Delaware.

 

He named longtime adviser Ron Klain on Wednesday as White House chief of staff, his first major appointment. Klain is expected to take a leading role in Biden's response to the intensifying pandemic that has killed about 242,000 Americans, with a record 142,000 new COVID-19 cases registered on Wednesday.

 

Trump, who has flouted public-health recommendations on mask-wearing and social-distancing, was hospitalized with COVID-19 last month. Many Trump associates have become infected, with close adviser Corey Lewandowski on Thursday becoming the latest.

 

In a sign of weakening support for Trump's efforts to claim widespread election fraud, Ohio's Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican who endorsed Trump, on Thursday told CNN "we need to consider the former vice president as the President-elect."

 

The Las Vegas Review-Journal, owned by major Republican donor Sheldon Adelson, ran an editorial saying Trump "seeks to delay the inevitable."

 

"There is no evidence that fraud cost Mr. Trump the election, no matter how much the president tweets the opposite and his supporters wish it," the editorial said.

 

Karl Rove, White House deputy chief of staff to Republican former President George W. Bush, wrote in the Wall Street Journal that "once his days in court are over, the president should do his part to unite the country by leading a peaceful transition and letting grievances go."

 

A group of prominent former world leaders known as The Elders, chaired by former Irish President Mary Robinson, has also urged Trump to accept defeat, fearing he was "putting at risk the functioning of American democracy."

 

Since major news organizations projected Biden as the winner on Saturday, Trump has maintained a minimal public schedule, preferring instead to air his grievances on Twitter.

 

(Reporting by Susan Cornwell, Doina Chiacu and Simon Lewis; Additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt, Patricia Zengerle, Jeff Mason, James Oliphant and Doina Chiacu; Writing by Will Dunham; Editing by Scott Malone, Jonathan Oatis and Sonya Hepinstall)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-11-13

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

Fairness and respect are an anathma for Trump, so this is a part of his plan for general chaos for the 60 days or so, and ongoing into his future.

The smell which will not go away.

 

Edited November 12, 20205 yr by RJRS1301

Biden, who is set to become the first Roman Catholic U.S. president since John Kennedy in the 1960s, spoke with the pope on Thursday, thanking him for his "blessing and congratulations," his transition team said.

 

Amazing. Please let religions out of anything that matters.  

Post with unsubstantiated off-topic claim has been removed along with replies.  

 

Both Trump and Clinton were given classified briefings after they became their parties nominees for President, in spite of concerns about security.  https://time.com/4430630/donald-trump-hillary-clinton-presidential-candidate-intelligence-briefings/

 

Trump was offered daily classified briefings after the 2016 election (which was much closer than the 2020 election now being disputed for specious reasons).  He rarely took advantage of the offer.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-turning-away-intelligence-briefers-since-election-win/2016/11/23/5cc643c4-b1ae-11e6-be1c-8cec35b1ad25_story.html

 

Biden has had access to classified for far more years than Trump and there are no allegations of inappropriate handling of classified by Biden.  Trump's record with classified is considerably worse.

The name of the game is keep the country safe country over party gentlemen Joe Biden is president elect it’s a no brainer imo what dumbfounds me are the republicans quivering in fear of a mean tweet from trump!grow a pair for crying out loud let’s move forward 

Trump doesn’t read the briefings and objects to Biden doing so.

 

He struggles to read, he clearly can’t count.

 

What an embarrassment!

The briefings should be heard only by President Trump until the weeds are pulled from the grass. The count still goes on and President Trump is still the President until the courts say otherwise.

3 hours ago, webfact said:

With a few states still counting ballots

10 days after election day...

And they pretend to be the leader for democracy in this world. Pathetic! 

7 minutes ago, vandeventer said:

The briefings should be heard only by President Trump until the weeds are pulled from the grass. The count still goes on and President Trump is still the President until the courts say otherwise.

I see.  You don't think that procedures established to benefit the nation with a smooth transition, procedures that were made available to Trump, should be extended to Biden. 

 

That's not what a patriotic American would do.  You are willing to hurt the nation in order to spite Biden. 

5 minutes ago, vandeventer said:

The briefings should be heard only by President Trump until the weeds are pulled from the grass. The count still goes on and President Trump is still the President until the courts say otherwise.

That's not the way it works. Biden is president elect, the numbers speak for themselves despite Trumps tantrums, as such it is customary for the PE to be included in these meetings that Trump doesn't usualy attend anyway, he has trouble understanding them.

10 minutes ago, vandeventer said:

The briefings should be heard only by President Trump until the weeds are pulled from the grass. The count still goes on and President Trump is still the President until the courts say otherwise.

Lets imagine that the unthinkable happens and Biden will be POTUS end of January.

Would you prefer that he is well informed to lead the USA? Or do you think it would be better that he tries to do the job without important information?

And in case Donald will continue to be president: No problem, Biden won't tell the secrets someone unauthorized.

There is considerable worry in the US Defence/security community about the security implications of Trump's behaviours after he retires permanently to the golf course.

16 minutes ago, vandeventer said:

The briefings should be heard only by President Trump until the weeds are pulled from the grass. The count still goes on and President Trump is still the President until the courts say otherwise.

The first decision the courts make is ‘does the plaintiff’s case have merit?’

 

So far the courts have been rejecting Trump’s election cases and exposing his witnesses as liars.

11 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

10 days after election day...

And they pretend to be the leader for democracy in this world. Pathetic! 

They might need another year.

 

Just now, mfd101 said:

There is considerable worry in the US Defence/security community about the security implications of Trump's behaviours after he retires permanently to the golf course.

He won’t have much time for golf.

 

My guess is a lot less time for golf than he’s had as President.

 

He’ll be ‘otherwise engaged’.

15 minutes ago, mfd101 said:

There is considerable worry in the US Defence/security community about the security implications of Trump's behaviours after he retires permanently to the golf course.

He should play golf 24/7. Then he doesn't f$%# up anything important in that time.

44 minutes ago, vandeventer said:

The briefings should be heard only by President Trump until the weeds are pulled from the grass. The count still goes on and President Trump is still the President until the courts say otherwise.

Banana republic with 21 % of the people who love a dictator

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Lets imagine that the unthinkable happens and Biden will be POTUS end of January.

Would you prefer that he is well informed to lead the USA? Or do you think it would be better that he tries to do the job without important information?

We already know the answer to that one.  Trump supporters have shown a desire to see the country go downhill as long as it means their man is in the White House.  They would be happy to see Biden flounder due to lack of preparedness, to the further detriment of the country, than see him succeed and the country prosper.

 

 

Edited November 13, 20205 yr by ballpoint
Spelling

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Lets imagine that the unthinkable happens and Biden will be POTUS end of January.

Would you prefer that he is well informed to lead the USA? Or do you think it would be better that he tries to do the job without important information?

And in case Donald will continue to be president: No problem, Biden won't tell the secrets someone unauthorized.

For you, the unthinkable happened.  Biden is president elect.  That won't change.

 

Time for Trump to transition power.  He's been fired.  Biden says he's not as worried about intelligence briefings as he is about getting started on dealing with the virus.  Good for Biden.

An unsubstantiated post has been removed. 

1 hour ago, mfd101 said:

There is considerable worry in the US Defence/security community about the security implications of Trump's behaviours after he retires permanently to the golf course.

No worries at all.  They are rock solid.

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/12/politics/mark-milley-pentagon-turmoil/index.html

"We are unique among militaries. We do not take an oath to a king or a queen, a tyrant or a dictator. We do not take an oath to an individual. No, we do not take an oath to a country, a tribe or religion. We take an oath to the Constitution. And every soldier that is represented in this museum, every sailor, airman, Marine, Coast Guardsman, each of us will protect and defend that document, regardless of personal price," Milley said during remarks at the opening of the US Army's museum.

32 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

No worries at all.  They are rock solid.

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/12/politics/mark-milley-pentagon-turmoil/index.html

"We are unique among militaries. We do not take an oath to a king or a queen, a tyrant or a dictator. We do not take an oath to an individual. No, we do not take an oath to a country, a tribe or religion. We take an oath to the Constitution. And every soldier that is represented in this museum, every sailor, airman, Marine, Coast Guardsman, each of us will protect and defend that document, regardless of personal price," Milley said during remarks at the opening of the US Army's museum.

I think the concern about security implications have more to do with Trump's unwillingness or inability to keep his mouth shut, especially when he wants to show off.  In spite of his aversion to learning he has picked up a considerable amount of classified information, and with Trump being Trump, it is all at risk of being disclosed during his future talk-a-thons.

Edited November 13, 20205 yr by heybruce

2 minutes ago, heybruce said:

I think the concern about security implications have more to do with Trump's unwillingness or inability to keep his mouth shut, especially when he wants to show off.  In spite of his aversion to learning, he has picked up a considerable amount of classified information, and with Trump being Trump, it is all at risk of being disclosed during his future talk-a-thons.

Good point.  And if he discloses that as a citizen, he'll be arrested. 

 

He's already released classified information.  But was covered by presidential immunity.  That ends on January 20th, 2021.  Luckily!

4 hours ago, webfact said:

A growing number of Republican senators, including John Cornyn, Ron Johnson, James Lankford, Chuck Grassley and Lindsey Graham, urged Trump's administration to allow Biden access to presidential daily intelligence briefings.

 

Oh wow... Grassley and Graham are waving a white flag already? Time for McConnell to get with the bloody program.

37 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

For you, the unthinkable happened.

For me it isn't unthinkable. I know Biden won.

My comment was a reply to one of those people in denial.

An unfounded conspiracy troll post removed also reply

31 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

For me it isn't unthinkable. I know Biden won.

My comment was a reply to one of those people in denial.

Yes. Irony not always a strong point on this site.

When Donald's tantrum and the subservient GOP will cause additional deaths of US Citizens for not allowing for a smooth transition. Looks like Donald and team couldn't care less about the American public.

 

Trump’s COVID Task Force: The Refusal to Concede to Biden Will Result in More COVID Deaths

 

Quote

President Donald Trump’s refusal to give in to the fact that Joe Biden has won the election is likely to prolong the pandemic and put American lives at risk, multiple current senior officials working on the federal government’s coronavirus response told The Daily Beast.

Officials in the Trump administration working the COVID vaccine process, particularly those working on Operation Warp Speed, have been unable to communicate with Biden’s new COVID-19 task force about what plans they already have in place for distribution. Without close coordination on those topics, current officials say, Biden’s team could face significant delays in getting the vaccine out to the American people.

 

Are you guys still obsessing about the two time Nobel prize nominee?  They guys who’s policies created the lowest ever unemployment rate for African Americans, while earning the highest wages in history?  The guy who’s people created the first viable long term peace plan in the Middle East since the Carter administration (Nobel prize nomination #1).  The guy who put two Eastern European nations who had been bitter enemies together and crafted an historic trade agreement (Nobel prize nomination #2).  The guy who renegotiated NAFTA and the trade agreement with China; both which benefitted the USA.  Now that things are winding down, what’s will you guys do next?  You’re going to have a ton of time on your hands.  ????. ????. ????