The new crown pneumonia epidemic has intensified. US President-elect Biden said on December 4 that he intends to significantly reduce the scale of the presidential inauguration to be held on January 20 next year.
According to Biden, he will learn from the US Democratic National Convention this summer, and still set up a podium in front of the Capitol, and limit the number of attendees on the spot to avoid the accelerated spread of the virus; at the same time, all states will hold online events across the United States. However, US President Trump did not promise to participate in Biden’s inauguration. He still refuses to admit defeat and has initiated lawsuits in many states to challenge the election results. CNN quoted sources as reporting that Trump called Georgia Governor Brian Kemp on December 5, urging him to persuade state legislators to overturn Biden’s victory in the state.
Trump’s request to overturn Georgia’s election results rejected
According to sources, US President Trump asked Georgia Governor Kemp to convene a special meeting on the 5th to persuade state legislators to select voters who support him and allow the signatures of absent ballots to be audited.
Trump stated that the signatures of the votes collected by election officials in Georgia did not match the file. But this request was rejected by Kemp. Kemp said he has no right to order an audit and refused to convene a special meeting. Kemp’s office publicly stated that state law prohibits the governor from interfering in elections. “Washington Post” reported that the White House refused to respond to this matter. But Kemp’s spokesperson confirmed that Kemp and Trump had a conversation over the phone, but did not disclose more content of the conversation.
On the same day, Trump attacked Kemp and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Ravensperger through social media. Trump asked for a signature audit of Georgia’s absentee ballots. Kemp responded that he had publicly called for a signature review three times to restore confidence in the election process and to ensure that only legitimate votes were counted in Georgia. Trump has repeatedly criticized Kemp. CNN previously reported that Trump recently criticized Kemp as an “idiot” and “lunatic” in another phone call; in an interview with Fox News earlier this week, he said he felt that he had previously supported Kemp. “ashamed”.
Trump builds momentum for Georgia’s Senate election
On December 5th, Trump also went to Georgia to hold a campaign. Trump stated that his trip was to help two Republican senators Kelly Rufler and David Perdue win the Georgian Senate election. Trump said that the outcome of this election will determine who will control the Senate. This may be the most important election in American history.
Trump team and allies lose in prosecution in multiple states
Not only was the request to overturn the election results rejected in Georgia, the election litigation of the Trump campaign in Georgia was also rejected by the court. According to a report by CNN on December 5, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit recently dismissed the appeal of Trump’s team lawyer Lin Wood’s attempt to overturn Biden’s election victory in Georgia.
The court expressed support for the district judge’s previous ruling that Lin Wood was not legally qualified to sue the results of the Georgia election. In addition, this week, the Trump campaign and its allies in the courts of Michigan, Nevada, Wisconsin and Arizona also suffered defeats.
States must resolve election disputes by December 8
According to US law, states must resolve election disputes before December 8, 2020. Electors will meet in each state on December 14 to formally vote for the president and vice president. The new Congress will be established on January 3, 2021. A joint meeting will be held on January 6 to count the electoral votes and formally announce the winner of the presidential election. At noon on January 20, 2021, the presidential power transfer is completed.
