Political and Legislative
McConnell Recognizes Joe Biden as President-Elect for the First Time
(CNN)Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for the first time acknowledged Joe Biden’s victory and referred to him as President-elect, six weeks after Election Day and amid President Donald Trump’s continued refusal to accept defeat.
“The electoral college has spoken,” McConnell said in remarks from the Senate floor in the US Capitol, adding, “Today I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden.”
McConnell’s comments are significant given that many Senate Republicans still wouldn’t recognize Biden’s victory on Monday evening even after the Electoral College made the win official.
Behind the scenes, McConnell also urged Republican senators on a private conference call not to join House members on January 6 to object to state electoral results, a source on the call tells CNN when Congress formally counts the Electoral College votes and members of Congress can object. Other top Republicans — including Senate Majority Whip John Thune and Senate Rules Chairman Roy Blunt — echoed that sentiment. Doing so, they said, would be fruitless and force them to cast a politically challenging vote against the President that day.
