Trump’s national security adviser says Biden appears to have 'obviously' won election
Trump administration official says transition will happen because Democrat 'obviously’ looked like the winner
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The United States’ national security advisor, Robert O'Brien, has said that Joe Biden “obviously” appeared to have won the 2020 presidential election.
"If the Biden-Harris ticket is determined to be the winner, and obviously things look that way now, we'll have a very professional transition from the National Security Council," said O'Brien to the Global Security Forum on Monday.
Those comments moved Donald Trump’s administration one step closer to conceding the 3 November election, which the president has continued to deny the Democratic president-elect.
Mr Biden won the 2020 election more than a week ago, but has not been provided with access to federal assistance that typically comes with the presidential transition.
Mr Trump, who ended-up 74 electoral college points behind, has repeatedly refused to concede, and instead claimed he “won”.
Mr O'Brien, however, told the Global Security Forum that he was committed to a smooth transition and was not concerned about the current stalemate.
“If there is a new administration, look, they deserve some time to come in and implement their policies,” he said.
Those comments came as Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, also appeared to acknowledge a transition to a Biden administration.
He told a French newspaper, Le Figaro, that he was “entirely confident that the coming days and weeks [that] will show how much we are attached to the constitutional frame of this election".
"The transition process will work and honour our internal and external obligations," Mr Pompeo added.
A Trump campaign lawsuit was due to be heard in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, although the case has already been labelled “frivolous” by legal professionals.
The president’s other accusations about election “irregularities” have also been largely disproved, leading to pressure from Democrats and some GOP lawmakers for a concession in the coming days.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments