This article was updated on Monday, Nov. 23, at 7:40 p.m.
Nearly two weeks after the Associated Press announced Joe Biden was the next president of the United States, Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said Monday that it’s time to begin a “smooth transition of power.”
Capito is one of few Republican lawmakers in Congress who have publicly veered from Trump's false claims of voter fraud and conspiracy. It took her sixteen days to weigh in, all while judges in states like Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania tossed out poorly structured legal arguments from President Donald Trump’s attorneys.
Although Capito and a majority of West Virginia voters chose to re-elect Trump, she’s now requesting that Biden and Kamala Harris, the vice president-elect, have access to the appropriate briefings related to national security and the coronavirus pandemic.
“President Trump has challenged the election results in several states,” Capito said. “While some irregularities and fraud have been found and should be punished, there is no indication that these are widespread enough to call into question the outcome of our election.”
Capito stopped short Monday of referring to Biden as president-elect, but she acknowledged that he has secured the votes necessary — 306 from the electoral college, and a six-million-person lead in the popular vote, according to NPR.
Donald Trump has yet to stop questioning the results of the election, although hours after Capito made her statement, he allowed for his administration to begin cooperating with Biden's transition team. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Michigan are set to certify their election results this week.
West Virginia’s other U.S. senator, Democrat Joe Manchin, acknowledged Biden’s win on Nov. 7, stating his “full trust and confidence in our voting process.”
“I hope all Americans will join me as we put partisanship aside and set our nation on a path toward renewed prosperity,” Manchin said on Nov. 7.
West Virginia’s three U.S. House Representatives and state elected officials — including the state’s attorney general and governor — have yet to acknowledge that Biden won.
Emily Allen is a Report for America corps member.
Copyright 2020 West Virginia Public Broadcasting
