“Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said Sunday that it’s time for President Donald Trump to begin the official transition process before President-elect Joe Biden assumes office in January, lambasting the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to undercut the results of the 2020 election. “As states wrap up the 2020 election and certify the results, it is incumbent upon all of us to ensure that we respect the integrity of the election process and uphold Americans’ faith in our electoral system,” Murkowski wrote on Twitter. “President Trump has had the opportunity to litigate his claims, and the courts have thus far found them without merit.” pic.twitter.com/J21nrc2M4z— Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) November 22, 2020 The senator, one of just a few congressional GOP lawmakers to openly congratulate Biden, also took aim at Trump’s efforts to appeal to Michigan’s legislative leaders in an attempt to subvert the democratic process. The president invited top Republicans from the state to the White House in a last-ditch effort to convince them to halt the certification of the vote, which is expected to take place on Monday. Shortly after the meeting, however, the lawmakers said they would follow the law and saw no evidence to warrant reversing the outcome, in which Biden won Michigan by more than 150,000 votes. On Sunday, Murkowski called such a move “unprecedented” and said the failure of Trump’s bevy of lawsuits meant it was time for the president to move on. “A pressure campaign on state legislators to influence the electoral outcome is not only unprecedented but inconsistent with our democratic process,” she said on Twitter. “It is time to begin the full and formal transition process.” The Trump-appointed head of the General Services Administration is still refusing to “ascertain” that Biden won the election, which is required before millions of dollars in transition funds — and access to government officials — can be granted. Democrats have only grown louder with their criticism as the transition continues to stall, although the White House last week rejected any claims that it was slowing the GSA’s efforts. Both the president and his surrogates have continued to spread outright lies about the results of the election, claiming without evidence that there was widespread fraud associated with mail-in ballots. Those claims have been rebutted by Democrats and Republicans alike across the nation.
