Name: Sen. Rob Portman still won’t call Joe Biden “President-elect”
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Sen. Rob Portman still won’t call Joe Biden “President-elect”

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NEW!6,651sharesWASHINGTON, D.C. - Even as former Vice President Joe Biden plans for his January transition into the White House, more states have certified results, and multiple court challenges by President Donald Trump’s campaign have been tossed out as baseless, Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman still won’t call Biden the “President-elect.”In a conference call with Ohio reporters on Tuesday, Portman repeatedly declined to use that term when referring to the Democratic candidate who won 306 electoral votes compared with 232 for Trump. He said that Trump and his legal team have a right to pursue the recounts and lawsuits they’ve undertaken to challenge the results, and it’s appropriate for Biden to begin the transition process.He noted that none of the vote count challenges have “led to a different outcome in any state,” or changed the initial determination that Biden has enough electoral votes to win, and said that while every election has some degree of fraud, “there is no evidence of the kind of widespread fraud or irregularities that would change the outcome of the election.”He described Dec. 8 as a “critical” safe harbor date when states submit their electors and will be protected from legal challenges, but would not say whether he’d be willing to call Biden “President-elect” after that date. When asked to clarify why he wouldn’t use the term “President-elect” in reference to Biden, Portman said he thought it was “pretty clear.”“I’ve said I think the President and his team ought to have the right to get the recounts and the right to pursue the lawsuits,” said Portman, encouraging people to read he published on the subject. “A week from now, that needs to come to an end.”Trump has reacted angrily when other Republican officeholders used that term to describe Biden. Soon after Fox News aired a clip of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine saying that Biden should be considered the president-elect, to say: “Who will be running for Governor of the Great State of Ohio? Will be hotly contested!”Portman said he doesn’t support efforts by a few Republicans in Ohio’s legislature to impeach DeWine over his response to the coronavirus pandemic.“The Governor is doing his best in a very tough situation,” said Portman. “And in the meantime, you know, my job is to promote getting safe and effective vaccines to Ohio citizens as soon as possible.”Portman, who headed the Office of Management and Budget during George W. Bush’s presidency, said Biden’s announced nominee for that job, Center for American Progress CEO, will face a “tough” confirmation because of her liberal record and history of making “highly partisan” public comments. Portman said it’s important for whoever holds that job to work well with both Republicans and Democrats, and said she’s made “troubling” remarks about some of his colleagues. He said he doesn’t remember having a nominee coming up for any position “with that kind of a background,” but said that if Biden nominates her, he would support her getting a hearing.“It’d be quite a fight,” Portman said.Ohio’s Democratic U.S. Senator, Sherrod Brown, released a statement on Monday that called Tanden “smart, experienced, and qualified for the position of OMB Director.”“The American people decisively voted for change - Mitch McConnell shouldn’t block us from having a functioning government that gets to work for the people we serve,” Brown’s statement continued.Read more:Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.

NEW!6,651sharesWASHINGTON, D.C. - Even as former Vice President Joe Biden plans for his January transition into the White House, more states have certified results, and multiple court challenges by President Donald Trump’s campaign have been tossed out as baseless, Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman still won’t call Biden the “President-elect.”In a conference call with Ohio reporters on Tuesday, Portman repeatedly declined to use that term when referring to the Democratic candidate who won 306 electoral votes compared with 232 for Trump. He said that Trump and his legal team have a right to...

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Sen. Rob Portman still won’t call Joe Biden “President-elect”

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