Republicans are allegedly waiting on President Trump to acknowledge Joe Biden as the victor of the Nov. 3 election before calling him as president-elect themselves.
During a CNN interview on Wednesday, Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger said he and his GOP colleagues will press the General Services Administration administrator to begin the transition process when Trump stops alleging that he is the real winner of the election.
“I think it’s just a matter of a lot of people waiting out until, you know, the President comes to terms with this,” Kinzinger said.
The Illinois Republican added that every vote should be counted, and every lawsuit should be completed before moving forward.
“We have a tradition in this country of looking at the results, congratulating the President-elect, starting the transition process and going forward … that is essential to the passage and the strength and the survival of democracy,” he said.
GSA administrator Emily Murphy has been the subject of scrutiny in recent days for not moving forward with the transition process for Biden’s expected arrival to the White House in January. National security experts have suggested the delay could put the country at risk.
Biden transition officials have hinted they may lean on lawyers if the GSA doesn’t acknowledge or “ascertain” him as the 46th president.
Without the GSA’s help, Biden can’t access $6.3 million in federal funding or secure office space and equipment for transition before Inauguration Day on Jan. 20. He also can’t access key government personnel or certain pieces of classified information, nor coordinate foreign leader conversations with the State Department.
While Biden was declared the winner of the election more than a week ago by several media outlets, Trump has yet to concede. The president has accused election results in several states to be products of voter fraud and Democratic rigging, though his theories have brought forth little evidence.
The Trump campaign is currently in the middle of legal challenges in multiple states and filed for an official recount in Wisconsin, which he lost by roughly 20,000 votes, or less than 1%.
