Republican lawmakers uniformly came out in support of a peaceful transition of power after President Donald Trump declined to say on Wednesday whether he would commit to such a transition.
Asked if he would commit to a peaceful transfer, Trump said “Well, we’re going to have to see what happens.”
He added, “There won’t be a transfer, frankly, there’ll be a continuation. The ballots are out of control.”
On Thursday morning, Republican leaders were blunter. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) tweeted, “The winner of the November 3rd election will be inaugurated on January 20th. There will be an orderly transition just as there has been every four years since 1792.”
The winner of the November 3rd election will be inaugurated on January 20th. There will be an orderly transition just as there has been every four years since 1792.
— Leader McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) September 24, 2020
House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney (R-Wy.) echoed McConnell’s statement, writing, “The peaceful transfer of power is enshrined in our Constitution and fundamental to the survival of our Republic. America’s leaders swear an oath to the Constitution. We will uphold that oath.”
The peaceful transfer of power is enshrined in our Constitution and fundamental to the survival of our Republic. America’s leaders swear an oath to the Constitution. We will uphold that oath.
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) September 24, 2020
During a Thursday morning appearance on “Fox & Friends,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said that he is pushing for a ninth justice on the Supreme Court before the election and added, “People wonder about the peaceful transfer of power. I can assure you it will be peaceful. Now, we may have litigation about who won the election but the court will decide and if the Republicans lose, we will accept that result.”
Lindsey Graham: "People wonder about the peaceful transfer of power. I can assure you it will be peaceful. Now we may have litigation about who won the election, but the court will decide, and if Republicans lose, we'll accept that result. But we need a full court." pic.twitter.com/mVBGtMXiBF
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 24, 2020
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), who has sometimes broken with the president wrote on Twitter, “Fundamental to democracy is the peaceful transition of power; without that, there is Belarus. Any suggestion that a president might not respect this Constitutional guarantee is both unthinkable and unacceptable.”
Earlier this week, Trump said that he believes the result of the 2020 election will end up before the Supreme Court.
“I think it’s better if you go before the election because this scam that the Democrats are pulling — it’s a scam — this scam will be before the United States Supreme Court,” he said.