President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris launched a transition website this week. The website includes plans to combat the coronavirus and address economic inequality and police reform.
But as far as President Donald Trump’s administration is concerned, the president will serve a second term.
Trump and his loyalists launched an all-out assault to contest the results of the presidential election. They’ve taken their allegations public, they’ve taken it to the courts, they’re using it to fundraise for Trump, and prominent Republicans have fallen in line.
Some pundits have claimed that the administration and the Republican Party are planning a soft coup to subvert the election results or create just enough confusion for people to lose faith in democracy.
Between now and Jan. 20, 2021, the current administration apparently won’t go down without a fight. Accusations keep coming over mass voter fraud without any evidence.
“We all know why Joe Biden is rushing to falsely pose as the winner, and why his media allies are trying so hard to help him: they don’t want the truth to be exposed,” Trump said in a statement. “The simple fact is this election is far from over. Joe Biden has not been certified as the winner of any states, let alone any of the highly contested states headed for mandatory recounts, or states where our campaign has valid and legitimate legal challenges that could determine the ultimate victor.”
So far, Trump’s campaign has filed numerous lawsuits in battleground states that have appeared to fall flat. In Pennsylvania, where votes got Biden to the 270 electoral college votes he needed to win, Republicans are skeptical of the boost in ballots for Biden. Trump and others have pointed out votes that came in after Election Day are “illegal ballots” and should not be counted. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled the ballots that came in after the deadline must be segregated.
“This is absolute fraud, we’ve seen it in Philadelphia before, they’re trying to make a mockery of the election of this country,” Trump’s son Eric said during a recent press conference. “The Democrats know the only way they can win in this election is to cheat in Pennsylvania.”
A lawsuit was dismissed in Georgia, where Biden currently has the lead, after a GOP poll watcher claimed that ballots received after Election Day were mixed with ballots received on Election Day. A judge found that no ballots were received after the Election Day deadline.
In Michigan, Detroit is at the center of a legal fight over observers not being allowed to view the ballot count. A motion was denied in an effort to stop “curing” absentee ballots.
One lawsuit has been filed in Nevada where Biden won alleging that 3,000 ballots were cast by “ineligible individuals.” The lawsuit was later dismissed. Another lawsuit alleged that a machine that verifies signatures was fraudulent in an effort to stop the count. The lawsuit was rejected.
In Arizona, a lawsuit stemming from a rumor alleged that ballots were rejected because they contained ink from Sharpie pens. The lawsuit was dropped after the Department of Homeland Security and several websites debunked the rumor.
Trump’s campaign has brought out the big guns using his presidential power to sway the election in his favor. This week, U.S. Attorney General William Barr has authorized the Department of Justice to probe allegations of voting irregularities across the nation.
“While it is imperative that credible allegations be addressed in a timely and effective manner, it is equally imperative that Department personnel exercise appropriate caution and maintain the Department’s absolute commitment to fairness, neutrality and non-partisanship,” Barr wrote in a memo.
On Tuesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was asked during a press conference if he believed there was widespread voter fraud. He replied by saying that all legal votes must be counted and has sided with Trump on winning the election.
“There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration,” Pompeo said. “We’re ready. The world is watching what’s taking place here. We’re going to count all the votes. When the process is complete, there’ll be electors selected. There’s a process. The Constitution lays it out pretty clearly.”