Top Republican Liz Cheney promises 'peaceful transfer of power' after Trump wouldn't
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wy.) vowed Thursday that “America’s leaders” would ensure a peaceful transfer of power should President Donald Trump lose the November election, a day after Trump refused to commit to doing so.
“The peaceful transfer of power is enshrined in our Constitution and fundamental to the survival of our Republic,” tweeted Cheney, the third-ranking Republican in the House.
“America’s leaders swear an oath to the Constitution,” she continued. “We will uphold that oath.”
Asked at a press briefing Wednesday whether he would commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses reelection, Trump said, “We’re gonna have to see what happens.”
“You know that I’ve been complaining very strongly about the ballots,” the president said, referring to mail-in ballots.
Trump has repeatedly spread misinformation about mail-in ballots, which he and several top White House aides have used to vote in previous elections. Election officials have denied his claims that mail-in ballots facilitate voter fraud.
“Get rid of the ballots and you’ll have a peaceful ― there won’t be a transfer, frankly, there’ll be a continuation,” Trump said Wednesday. “The ballots are out of control. You know it.”
As the election draws nearer and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden continues to outperform Trump in national polls, Trump has been laying the groundwork to declare the election illegitimate. He has claimed that mail-in ballots would result in a “rigged” election and undermined the U.S. Postal Service, the agency tasked with processing those ballots.
A handful of other Republicans, including Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Mitt Romney (Utah), reiterated the importance of the peaceful transfer of power following Trump’s remarks Wednesday.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), chairman of the Senate judiciary committee, told Fox News on Thursday that the election results may face litigation in the Supreme Court, but that Republicans would “accept” the results if they lose.
“We need a nine-person Supreme Court,” said Graham, who has been pushing, along with other top Republicans, for a swift vote in the Senate to fill the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the bench.
“And people wonder about the peaceful transfer of power, I can assure you it will be peaceful,” Graham continued. “Now we may have litigation about who won the election, but the court will decide and if Republicans lose we will accept that result.”
Trump said Wednesday that he wants a ninth justice to be confirmed before Election Day, in case the election is contested all the way to the Supreme Court. If Republicans succeed in filling Ginsburg’s seat, the court will have a 6-3 conservative majority.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
