Kamala Harris says she wishes Mitch McConnell would have accepted Joe Biden's win sooner and urges his Republican colleagues to do the same
Kamala Harris thanked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for finally accepting her and Joe Biden's victory but said she wished he would have done it sooner as she urged other Republicans to follow his lead in the wake of Monday's Electoral College vote.
McConnell called Biden to congratulate him on Tuesday morning after having stayed silent on the election results for six weeks since the polls closed.
'I applaud Mitch McConnell for talking to Joe Biden today,' Harris told ABC News hours later.
'I think it's critically important that the leaders of our government, especially those who are elected to the highest offices, that we dedicate ourselves to a peaceful transition of power, and to an adherence to, and a respect for, the Constitution of the United States and our electoral system.
'We literally take an oath, each one of us, when we take these offices to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.'
The vice president-elect's words stood in stark contrast to the attacks McConnell has received from members of his own party who've accused him of betraying the GOP.
President Donald Trump and his allies have maintained that the race is not over as they continue cries of voter fraud in numerous lawsuits in battleground states.
Kamala Harris praised Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for accepting her and Joe Biden's victory and urged other Republicans to do the same in an ABC News interview Tuesday
'The Electoral College has spoken,' McConnell told reporters on Tuesday morning, before adding he wanted to congratulate Biden.
He also lauded that the country would have its first ever female vice president in Harris.
'I also want to congratulate the vice president-elect – our colleague from California, Senator Harris,' he said.
'Beyond our differences, all Americans can take pride in that our nation has a female vice president-elect for the very first time.'
Harris said she wished McConnell had accepted the results of the race earlier - after it was called for the Democratic ticket by the media on November 7 - but that she won't hold a grudge.
'It would have been better if it were earlier but it happened, and that's what's most important. Let's move forward,' she said.
'Where we can find common purpose and common ground, let's do that. Let that be our priority. As opposed to finding out where we disagree, let's actually focus on where we might agree, and then get some work done.'
'The Electoral College has spoken,' McConnell told reporters on Tuesday morning, adding that he wanted to congratulate Biden and Harris on their win
Biden also reacted positively to his call with McConnell, saying that they made plans to meet in person in the next few days.
'While we disagree on a lot of things, there are things we can work together on,' the president-elect told reporters before heading to Georgia to campaign for two Democratic senators whose run-off election could make or break his policy agenda.
McConnell's acknowledgment signaled that Congress would not attempt to overturn the election results when the electoral votes are sent to lawmakers to be officially counted on January 6 - a move that has been demanded by Trump.
'While we disagree on a lot of things, there are things we can work together on,' Biden said of his call with McConnell
The Kentucky senator urged members of his caucus not to join colleagues in the House in challenging votes in a call on Tuesday, warning that the last-ditch effort to overturn the results would split the party and ultimately fail.
He said it would be a 'terrible vote' for Republicans because they would have to slash the attempt down, which would end up making them look anti-Trump, according to Politico.
McConnell's comment to his party came as Alabama Representative Mo Brooks plows forward with his promise to formally challenge the Electoral College outcome in the House, joined by Georgia Representative-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene.
The duo, however, would need at least one senator to jump on board with them to launch deliberations into the Electoral College votes.
Brooks has acknowledged that the vote would likely be more of a symbolic protest that an legitimate avenue to overturn the results.
Greene, who is known for subscribing to some QAnon conspiracies, was among a number of MAGA supporters who blasted McConnell for acknowledging Biden's win.
'Every "Republican" that isn't fighting for @realDonaldTrump's 2020 landslide victory is supporting the Chinese Communist Party takeover of America,' she tweeted Tuesday.
Trump campaign attorney Lin Wood went even further, calling McConnell a 'traitor' and vowing: 'His day of judgment is coming.'
McConnell 'is NOT a Patriot. Ask his wife. She knows,' wrote Wood, referring to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, McConnell's wife of 27 years.
'McConnell just wants power, influence, & money. He is willing to sell America to get what he wants. McConnell is a traitor to American Patriots.'
Georgia Representative-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene was among a number of MAGA supporters who blasted McConnell for acknowledging Biden's win
Trump campaign attorney Lin Wood went even further, calling McConnell a 'traitor' and vowing: 'His day of judgment is coming'
Recently pardoned former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn joined the outcry, retweeting a Twitter user who called on 'American patriots' to let 'McConnell know we aren't on board with his 'President Elect Biden' mindset.'
Flynn told Trump: 'Millions & millions & millions of Patriots stand behind, alongside & in front of you during this crucible moment in US History where our very Republic is on the line. We won't fail or cower like some in the Republican Party have shown.'
Sebastian Gorka, a conservative radio host who served briefly in the Trump administration, accused McConnell of caving to 'the mob' by conceding the election to Biden before the final January 6 count of the Electoral College in Congress.
Fox News host Mark Levin also joined the fray, tweeting: 'Thanks for nothing, Mitch.'
'Trump helped you secure your seat, as he did so man Senate and House seats, and you couldn't even wait until January 6th,' added Levin. 'You've been the GOP 'leader' in the Senate for far too long. It's time for some fresh thinking and new blood.'
Recently pardoned former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn joined the outcry, retweeting a Twitter user who called on 'American patriots' to let 'McConnell know we aren't on board with his 'President Elect Biden' mindset'
Sebastian Gorka, a conservative radio host who served briefly in the Trump administration, accused McConnell of caving to 'the mob'
Fox News host Mark Levin also joined the fray, tweeting: 'Thanks for nothing, Mitch.'
Hard-right commentator Nicholas J. Fuentes, who has been leading 'Stop the Steal' rallies across the country, tweeted simply: 'McConnell is a traitor and a RINO'
Hard-right commentator Nicholas J. Fuentes, who has been leading 'Stop the Steal' rallies across the country, tweeted simply: 'McConnell is a traitor and a RINO.'
The acronym 'RINO' stands for 'Republican in name only'.
McConnell has been a strong supporter of most Trump efforts. But the turn of events six weeks after Election Day showed the Kentucky senator, backed by his leadership team, seeking to normalize relations with the coming Biden presidency while avoiding the spectacle of pitched floor fight that would divide the party as Trump reluctantly leaves office.
Republicans are worried about bad effects on the Georgia runoff election, where two incumbent Republican senators, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, face Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in a state that flipped in November for Biden.