Key States Certified And The Transition Began, But Top Republicans Remain Silent On Biden

Topline

Even after a number of roadblocks to Joe Biden’s impending presidency were cleared this week, with overdue recognition from the General Services Administration of him as the “apparent winner” and certification of his wins in key states, Republicans in Congress have maintained their silence on the results.

Key Facts

Key Background

Trump met with advisers on Monday – shortly before he gave the GSA the go-ahead to authorize the transition – and expressed concern about mounting pressure from Republican senators and business leaders to allow the transition to begin, NBC News reported based on an anonymous source.

Chief Critic

“This is not a legal exercise anymore… this is an exercise of raw political power,” John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, said during a CNN appearance on Sunday, calling on Republican leaders to “come out and say, ‘the election is over’” and asserting, “The Republican Party is not going to be saved by hiding in a spider hole.”

Crucial Quote

“We need his voters. And he has a tremendous following out there… We want him helping in Georgia,” Senate Majority Whip John Thune said earlier this month, signaling that Republicans’ placation of Trump is borne of a need for his help and a concern about his retaliation.

Surprising Fact

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-Va.) have both said their GOP colleagues privately admit Biden won even as they remain silent publicly. “I think the whole Republican party has been put in a position of being mildly intimidated by the sitting president,” Biden said earlier this month.

Big Number

535. That’s how many voting members of Congress there are. It’s also the number the Biden transition team hopes to reach out to before the inauguration, a transition official told Forbes: “These are introductory meetings to establish lines of communication between the incoming administration and Congress.”

Tangent

Forbes reached out to over a dozen GOP House members who have remained silent on the election but did not hear back from any.

What To Watch For

The Biden transition is well underway, with transition officials meeting with administration officials at every agency and Biden set to begin receiving intelligence briefings on Monday. Trump indicated he would willingly leave office if the electoral college votes for Biden as expected, though he tempered those expectations on Friday.