Mitch McConnell privately urges fellow Republican lawmakers not to fight US election results
- The Senate majority leader also publicly congratulated President-elect Joe Biden, ending weeks of silence over Trump’s defeat
- McConnell’s remarks come a day after the Electoral College officially confirmed Biden’s election win
US Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and his top deputies pressed other Senate Republicans on Tuesday not to join in with any House Republicans who may object to the presidential election results when Congress meets on January 6 to ratify the decision, a source familiar with the remarks said.
The conversation, which took place during a private conference all, was first reported by The New York Times.
News of the remarks broke after McConnell congratulated President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris on their victory during a speech on the Senate floor on Tuesday, a day after the Electoral College formalised their November 3 win.
“Many of us had hoped the presidential election would yield a different result,” he said. “But our system of government has the processes to determine who will be sworn in on January 20. The Electoral College has spoken.”
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‘Will of the people prevailed', Biden says after US Electoral College confirms his win over Trump
The Senate majority leader was among many congressional Republicans who had refused to acknowledge Biden’s defeat of President Donald Trump, who has continued to make unfounded claims of election fraud and refused to concede.