Republican congressman urges Trump to accept Biden’s win and begin transition process
A Republican congressman implored President Donald Trump to accept President-elect Joe Biden’s win on Tuesday, urging him to begin the presidential transition process as the nation grapples with a number of urgent challenges.
“Given the complexity, we need to start the process of transition to a new administration,” Rep. Paul Mitchell, a Republican from Michigan, told CNN’s Brianna Keilar on “CNN Right Now,” specifically pointing to the coronavirus pandemic and national security.
“I just think the transition is needed because we have some real challenges facing the nation and we need to not let time go by and have a haphazard transition because that’s not in the best interest of the people of this country,” he added.
Mitchell, who will be leaving Congress next year after deciding not to seek another term, said that “the people have spoken and we have President-Elect Biden and we need to accept that.”
The presidential transition process has not officially started because of Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the election. In the days since the race was called by major news networks for Biden, few Republicans in Congress have publicly recognized that Biden will indeed become the 46th president on January 20, 2021.
Meanwhile, the President’s legal team has launched legal challenges in several states, though Mitchell noted that several of the efforts have failed.
The congressman also came to the defense of Republicans in Congress who have privately cast doubt on Trump’s legal efforts and recognized Biden as the President-elect.
“I think that I understand that some people may be hesitant to climb into it because they think it will resolve itself,” Mitchell said, noting that some of his colleagues, including Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, have made similar remarks.
