Following Trump, US Republicans Also Reject Election Results: "Trump Has the Right to Sue"

Senate Majority Leader McConnell Supports Trump’s Position
Republican Senators in Georgia Demand Dismissal of Election Officials

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader who was expected to play a balancing role for the Republican Party after the U.S. presidential election, has come out in support of President Donald Trump's legal battles. With Majority Leader McConnell, who was expected to persuade President Trump to concede, now backing Trump's position, prolonged turmoil in American society over the election results has become inevitable.

Mitch McConnell, Republican Senate Majority Leader
[Photo by Reuters Yonhap News]

On the 9th (local time), Majority Leader McConnell said, "President Trump has 100% the right to investigate the allegations related to this election and consider legal options," adding, "Those who refused to accept the legitimacy of the election results four years ago should not lecture the president on what he should do immediately or urge him to willingly accept preliminary election results." This is the first time he has made a public statement regarding the election results.

McConnell’s use of terms like "preliminary" concerning the election results reflects the underlying judgment that the results have not yet been finalized. Furthermore, he echoed support for President Trump's intention to pursue legal procedures over procedural issues in the voting and counting process.

He stated, "This process will reach a conclusion," and "The American judicial and political systems will resolve procedures such as recounts and lawsuits."

Such remarks from McConnell, a top Republican leader, are interpreted as a forecast of future conflicts within American politics over acceptance of the election results. The New York Times (NYT) evaluated that instead of refuting President Trump's claim that "the election was stolen," McConnell expressed support for Trump's position. In fact, among Republican senators, only four have congratulated President-elect Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate who won this election, while it is difficult to find anyone openly criticizing Trump's refusal to concede.

Republican Senator Susan Collins, who has voiced criticism of President Trump, congratulated President-elect Biden on his "apparent victory" and said, "The president-elect should be given every opportunity to take office promptly on January 20 next year." However, she also agreed with President Trump's legal challenges, stating, "The related procedures must be respected."

Besides Senator Collins, the only Republican senators who have congratulated President-elect Biden are Mitt Romney, Lisa Murkowski, and Ben Sasse.

In Georgia, considered the biggest surprise state leaning toward Biden in this election, calls for the resignation of Brad Raffensperger, Georgia Secretary of State, who denied allegations of voter fraud, have emerged. Raffensperger stated, "There was no widespread election fraud related to this election." Georgia, where vote counting is still ongoing, is expected to be won by President-elect Biden after a very close race. Relatedly, Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue said, "Georgia residents are confused watching this election process," and argued, "Only legitimate votes should be counted, and illegitimate votes should be excluded."

However, these senators' claims differ significantly from the state government's stance. Jeff Duncan, Georgia Lieutenant Governor and a Republican, stated, "No credible cases of voter fraud or disenfranchisement related to this election have been found." Governor Brian Kemp also stated on the 6th that Secretary Raffensperger "followed legal procedures."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.