US: Republicans Oppose Trump's Obstruction of Biden Transition

A growing number of Republican party leaders and elected officials have joined calls for U.S. President Donald Trump to recognize his electoral defeat so that President-elect Joe Biden can start receiving classified briefings, in the interests of national security.

Even Trump supporter and far-right Senator from Florida Marco Rubio, current Republican chairman of Senate foreign relations committee, has called for Biden to start receiving the briefings, claiming that, "Our adversaries aren’t going to wait for you to catch up to take action."

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While Biden has already named his administration's COVID-19 task force, announced his chief-of-staff (Ron Klain) and spoke with Pope Francis about common goals during Biden's presidency, the Trump administration's refusal to accept defeat hinders most steps necessary for Biden to assume office, including the meeting of the Electoral College, the vote of approval in Congress and the presidential inauguration in January, among others. 

House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on Republicans in a press conference today to accept the presidential election results, saying, "Stop the circus and get to work on what really matters to the American people.”

Senator from Virginia Tim Kaine—Hillary Clinton's running mate in 2016—released a video today similarly calling on his Republican colleagues to acknowledge Trump has lost the race, accusing Trump of “acting like a spoiled child,” and saying the president was threatening American democracy for the sake of his own ego.