NOVEMBER 10, 2020
Maryland GOP Gov. Larry Hogan warned Tuesday about the need for an orderly presidential transfer of power, saying the country has to “move on” even as President Trump and some Republicans protest the results of the election.
“I think most people realize that this election is over,” Hogan said during a press conference when asked about Trump not conceding the election despite trailing former Vice President Joe Biden (D) by thousands of votes in several key battleground states.
“It’s really dangerous, I think, in the middle of this pandemic, this economic collapse, people dying across the country, to not have a transition. Is the old coronavirus task force gonna be making decisions, is the new one?” Hogan said.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo drew widespread scrutiny earlier Tuesday when he said he expected a “smooth transition to a second Trump administration,” despite Biden being the projected winner of the White House race.
Hogan said the president had the right to mount legal challenges in cases of suspected fraud, but said that he has seen no evidence of widespread fraud or anything that he thought would overturn the election results in the president’s favor.
“It’s crazy. We’ve got to move on,” the governor added, mentioning Congress’s inability to reach a deal on coronavirus stimulus relief as another factor adding pressure to the situation.
Hogan is one of a handful of GOP governors and prominent lawmakers who have publicly acknowledged Biden as president-elect, despite Trump’s refusal to concede.
The president himself has launched a handful of legal challenges in several states, though none have gained any traction as of yet, while making unproven claims of fraud since the race was called by networks on Saturday.
Biden referred to the president’s refusal to concede as “pathetic” at his own press conference Tuesday, but added that he saw no need as of yet to mount a legal effort of his own to counter the president.
Courtesy/Source: The Hill
