Pompeo Refuses To Acknowledge Biden Won Presidency, Help Enables Trump's Fraudulent Claims

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that there would “be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration” in the coming months. The remarks from Pompeo came during a news conference at the State Department after he was asked whether the Trump administration was preparing to engage with Biden’s transition team.

Although it was unclear whether Pompeo was joking, he refused to acknowledge the outcome of the election and argued that a White House victor has not been named yet.

“We’re ready. The world is watching what’s taking place here,” Pompeo said. “We’re going to count all the votes. When the process is complete, there will be electors selected. There’s a process. The Constitution lays it out pretty clearly.”

The international community “should have every confidence that the transition necessary to make sure that the State Department is functional today, successful today, and successful with the president who is in office on Jan. 20.” Pompeo added, referring to the date on which the next president will be inaugurated.

Pompeo, who served as CIA director at the beginning of the Trump administration, noted that he “went through a transition on the front end,” after the 2016 election.

“I’ve been on the other side of this. I’m very confident that we will do all the things that are necessary to make sure that the government … will continue to perform its national security functions as we go forward,” he said.

Pompeo failed to admit defeat as news broke of several world leaders reaching out to make contact with Biden. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson both tweeted that they spoke with the president-elect by phone. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel called Biden, as well, Politico reported.

Congratulations, @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris. Our two countries are close friends, partners, and allies. We share a relationship that’s unique on the world stage. I’m really looking forward to working together and building on that with you both.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) November 7, 2020

I just spoke to @JoeBiden to congratulate him on his election. I look forward to strengthening the partnership between our countries and to working with him on our shared priorities – from tackling climate change, to promoting democracy and building back better from the pandemic.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) November 10, 2020

Pompeo said Tuesday that he was “getting calls from all across the world” about the U.S. election and that foreign observers “understand that we have a legal process” and “understand that this takes time.” But he refused to say explicitly whether he supported the false claims of widespread voter fraud.

“I am very confident that we will count — and we must count — every legal vote,” Pompeo said.