The Donald Trump administration should immediately begin the process of preparing the transfer of power to Democratic candidate Joe Biden.

This is stated in a statement by the Transitional Advisory Council, which includes members of the previous three presidential administrations. 

“The current campaign has been a bitter battle, but history is replete with examples of presidents who have kindly helped their successors since then,” the advisory board said in a statement. 

The statement was signed by former White House chief of staff Mac McLarty (Bill Clinton administration), ex-White House chief of staff Josh Boltent and Health Secretary Michael Levitt (George W. Bush administration) and Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker (Barack Obama administration). 

“Despite the fact that there will be legal disputes requiring adjudication, the outcome of the election is clear enough and the transition process must begin now ... We urge the Trump administration to immediately begin the post-election transition process and the Biden team to make full use of resources. available to him in accordance with the Law on the Transfer of Presidential Powers, ”the statement said. 

Earlier, Politico reported that the head of the US General Services Administration, Emily Murphy, refuses to acknowledge Biden's victory in the presidential election.

This organization operates and operates the agencies and services of the entire US federal government.

In a statement on November 7, the management emphasized that “so far no exact confirmation has been received (of Biden's victory -

RT

).

The General Services Department and its head are determined to adhere to the requirements of the law. 

Until Murphy recognizes Biden as president-elect, his campaign headquarters and transition team cannot access public funds or conduct official communication with federal services and agencies in order to appoint their people, Politico notes.

Later, CNBC, referring to the recording that came into its possession, reported that the acting deputy head of the US Agency for International Development, John Barsa, told his team members that the process of transfer of power had not yet begun.

Appointment of winners

Recall that the voting in the US presidential elections took place on November 3.

The vote counting process was delayed for several days due to the large number of ballots sent by mail.

Earlier, Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that voting by mail and counting votes after the end of voting day create conditions for rigging and fraud.  

By November 7, mainstream media announced Joe Biden as the winner with over 290 electoral college votes, with 270

necessary to win.

Joe Biden himself, shortly after the media recognition, made a speech in which he declared himself the winner.

The democrat has already been congratulated by the heads of France, Germany, Israel, Canada, Ukraine and a number of other states.

  • Joe Biden

  • Reuters

  • © Andrew Harnik / Pool

At the same time, the final counting of votes has not yet been completed.

Trump's campaign team said it will challenge the results of the vote in key states (Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona and Pennsylvania) through the courts, where Joe Biden unexpectedly took the lead after receiving mailed ballots. 

Donald Trump himself said that the elections are far from over, and Biden and the media sympathizing with him are in a hurry to declare him president in order to cover up numerous violations and fraud.  

At the same time, Republican politicians were divided in their assessment of the elections.

A number of party officials believe that the vote was carried out with violations, but some recognized the victory for Biden.

Thus, Republican Senator Mitt Romney, who himself ran for president in 2012, congratulated the Democratic Party candidate on his victory.

He called Trump's claims of fraud as false and irresponsible. 

He was supported by a fellow party member, Senator Pat Toomey from Pennsylvania, who became a key in the struggle between Biden and Trump.

Toomey said he received no convincing evidence of electoral fraud.  

In turn, Trump's associate and chairman of the Senate Jurisprudence Committee Lindsay Graham criticized media statements that Biden won the election.  

“This is a contested election.

It is not the media that decides who will become president.

If that were the case, we would never have elected a Republican president.

Therefore, we do not take their opinion into account, ”he said on the air of Fox News, which also announced Biden as the winner.  

Graham warned party members that if they recognize Biden's victory, it will lead to disastrous consequences for the "elephants."  

“Unless Republicans critique and change the American electoral system, we will never have a Republican president elected again.

President Trump must not give in.

The gap between the candidates in Georgia is less than 10 thousand votes.

He will win in North Carolina.

The gap in Arizona has narrowed from 93 thousand to less than 20 thousand votes, and there are still counting of votes, ”- said Graham. 

If Trump now begins to transfer power to Biden, he will sign a death warrant to his legacy and make it clear that he has resigned himself to defeat in the election, said Vladimir Vasiliev, chief researcher at the Institute of the USA and Canada, RAS. 

“Lindsay Graham urges Trump to hold out and mobilize the GOP.

Indeed, Democrats are now developing several strategies, including electoral reform.

This may lead to the fact that in the near future the Republicans will be ordered the way to the chair of the owner of the White House, ”the expert noted in a commentary on RT. 

Contested elections

It is worth noting that the electoral college voting for the new president will be held on December 14.

Before that, Trump's campaign headquarters and his supporters have time to challenge the results of elections in key states in courts of various instances and influence their outcome.  

A similar precedent has already taken place in recent US political history.

In the 2000 presidential election, between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore, the vote count also continued for several days, and the media broadcast conflicting exit polls.

As a result, after the decision of the US Supreme Court and the recount of votes, the victory was awarded by a slight advantage to Bush Jr., despite the leadership of Gore.  

  • Donald Trump

  • Reuters

  • © Carlos Barria

If the lawsuits filed by Trump's campaign are set to move and the votes in key states are recounted, it could lead to Trump winning them over, allowing him to get the necessary electoral votes.

So, the Secretary of State of Georgia Brad Raffensperger has already announced a recount in his state due to a small gap of 917 votes in favor of Biden.  

However, even a recount in key states may not bring Trump a victory, unless serious violations are found and the majority of the votes remains with Biden, experts say.  

One of the less likely, but fugitive in the forecasts, is a recount, in which both candidates will collect 269 votes of the electoral college.

In this case, the House of Representatives controlled by the Democrats will elect the President of the United States, and the Senate remaining with the Republicans - the Vice President. 

In addition, if all electoral procedures related to the counting and approval of votes are not completed by January 20 (inauguration date), then the responsibility of the head of state passes to the speaker of the US House of Representatives.

This post is now held by Democrat Nancy Pelosi.  

The Transitional Advisory Council is not a government service, and its statement on the transfer of power to Biden is nothing more than a recommendation, stressed Vladimir Vasiliev.  

“Trump can do whatever he pleases until the end of his constitutional term, including not initiating the transfer of power, and thus in revenge leave many unpleasant surprises for the Biden administration.

As a rule, by November 16-18, representatives of the newly elected president and the president himself come to the White House to get up-to-date and, accordingly, by January 20, have already begun to fulfill their duties in full.

If Trump blocks this process, then the Biden administration will not get into the picture until January, ”the expert explained. 

Vasiliev noted that regardless of the result of the recount and the determination of the winner in the elections, the current situation will exacerbate the political crisis in the United States.  

“Whether Trump admits defeat or not, the very notion among his supporters that the Democrats stole the victory from the Republicans in 2020 through various machinations will exacerbate the political division in the United States.

In addition, Biden will abandon all Trump decrees, turn 180 degrees to what it was in 2016.

I do not exclude that this could result in a civil war like in 1860, when the southern states did not recognize Lincoln as president, ”the political scientist emphasized.  

Konstantin Blokhin, a researcher at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, agrees with this assessment. 

“This situation demonstrates that the American establishment does not want to see Trump in the White House anymore.

The elite wants to create the illusion of unity that Biden has won by a large majority, although this is not the case.

If they now fail to approve Biden's victory, the process of transferring power will drag on, various court cases will begin, and this situation can disintegrate the United States, escalate into clashes or civil war, "the expert concluded in an interview with RT.