McConnell, Republicans split with Trump on peaceful transfer

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell joined other Republican legislators in rallying to the defence of a constitutional government on Thursday, after President Donald Trump refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power following the November 3 election. “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,” McConnell wrote in a tweet. Several other legislators came out strongly in favour of a peaceful transition of power following the Republican president’s comments on Wednesday, though none criticised him directly. “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,” Representative Liz Cheney, who leads the House of Representatives Republican Conference, wrote on Twitter. Senator Marco Rubio, a former Republican presidential candidate, asserted the upcoming election contest between Trump and Democrat Joe Biden will be legitimate, fair and in line with more than two centuries of American practice. “It may take longer than usual to know the outcome, but it will be a valid one,” Rubio wrote on Twitter. In a tweet, Republican Representative Steve Stivers wrote: “Nothing defines our Constitutional Republic more than the peaceful transition of power. I’ve taken an oath to support and defend the Constitution, and I will uphold that oath.” On Wednesday, Trump, responding to a reporter’s question, refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power should he lose in November, and said he expected the election battle to end up before the Supreme Court. “We’re going to have to see what happens,” he told reporters. Not all Republicans expressed alarm at Trump’s remarks. “In the spring, stores sold out of hand sanitizer and toilet paper. This fall, they sold out of ammo,” Representative Thomas Massie, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said in a tweet. style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; left: 0;">