Biden ally Senator Chris Coons reveals Republicans are going behind Trump's back and asking him to pass on congratulations to Joe

Delaware Sen. Chris Coons said Tuesday that Republicans have been telling him in private what they refuse to say in public: congratulations to President-elect Joe Biden for winning the race.

Coons, a Democrat and a close advisor to Biden whose name has been floated for a top cabinet position, made the claim in an appearance on CNN, after a day when only a handful of elected Senate Republicans public acknowledged Biden's win.

Biden's win stands at 279 electoral votes, and he is up in Arizona and Georgia, but President Trump continues to declare he has either 'won' or 'will win' the election. His campaign filed suit in Pennsylvania Monday and has other cases pending, but the campaign and its allies have yet to reveal any evidence showing wide-scale fraud or demonstrate there is a way to overturn the results. 

Sen. Chis Coons (D-Del.) says Republicans are asking him to pass on their congratulations privately to President-elect Joe Biden, even as they hold back from saying so publicly

Asked what Republicans are telling him, Coons told CNN: 'Bluntly, that they accept. They call me to say congratulations please convey my well wishes to the president elect but I can't say that publicly yet. These are conversations best kept private,' he said. 

Coons spoke a day after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to publicly congratulate Biden, while saying Trump is '100 per cent' within his rights to file suit.

'My job here I think is to continue to urge them privately to do the right thing and to help the president accept reality and to help their caucus stand up publicly because frankly the transition is going to be chaotic at best if it doesn't get moving very soon. It should be underway already,' said Coons. 

Networks called the race for President-elect Joe Biden on Saturday

'WE WILL WIN!' President Trump wrote Tuesday without further explanation

Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney are among a small group of Senate Republicans who have congratulated President-elect Joe Biden

'It is past time for Republican leaders to stand up and say we will accept the results of the election,' he added.

There are proliferating signs of Trump's war footing. The Trump-appointed head of the General Services Administration has refused to assess Biden's win, freezing funding and transition activities. Attorney General Bill Barr issued a memo green lighting U.S. attorneys who want to pursue individual cases of voter fraud, despite existing. policies on investigations that might interfere in an election before it is certified. A top Justice Department lawyer resigned from his position Monday in response.

Trump's lawyers and allies say they are gathering testimonials of fraud but have yet to back up their claims. The first witness brought forward by Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani at his weekend press conference turned out to be a convicted child sex offender.   

Senate Republicans who have congratulated President-elect Joe Biden 

Mitt Romney (R-Utah)

Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)

Susan Collins (R-Maine)

Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) 

Said Coons: 'I see no evidence of voter fraud in the key states that would need to have their outcomes changed. And I so far see little evidence of any Republicans standing up to the president. There have been four so far in the Senate. My hope is that this is the week when that that will begin to turn as it is clear there is no possible pathway for the president to overturn these results. And we are beginning to threaten the foundations of our democracy.'

'WE WILL WIN!' President Trump wrote Tuesday without further explanation. 

'What is the downside for humoring him for this little bit of time? No one seriously thinks the results will change,' a senior Republican official told The Washington Post in a report published Monday night. 'He went golfing this weekend. It's not like he's plotting how to prevent Joe Biden from taking power on Jan. 20.' 

McConnell said Monday: 'Our institutions are actually built for this. We have the system in place to consider concerns and President Trump is 100 per cent within his rights to look into allegations of irregularities and weigh his legal options.' 

On Monday Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a former GOP senator, congratulated Biden, while using his old title. 

'I congratulate Vice-President Biden' DeWine said. 'It would appear that President Trump's legal team will be filing legal actions. The President's lawyers have every right to present evidence in court on any legal issues or irregularities involving the election, and the courts are the proper place to hear evidence on these issues. When lawsuits have concluded and election results are certified, it is important for all Americans to honor the outcome.'