Trump administration blocks messages from world leaders to President-elect Joe Biden
This is another episode in the current president’s attempt to block the transition of Government
The Donald Trump administration is blocking the messages that world leaders are sending to the president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden .
CNN television reported Wednesday that the State Department is refusing to deliver dozens of messages sent to him by foreign leaders to Biden and his transition team.
Trump refuses to acknowledge his electoral defeat and has presented a series of demands to reverse the electoral results , which have projected Biden as the winner.
State Department officials familiar with the situation told CNN that messages for Biden began arriving last weekend , when his victory was confirmed.
The State Department typically arranges communications with presidents-elect, but the Trump administration has denied its transition team access to the funds, information and contacts necessary to begin that task.
Biden, however, has held talks with world leaders such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel; the French President, Emmanuel Macron; the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, or his Irish counterpart, Micheál Martin.
The first foreign leader who spoke with Biden to congratulate him on his victory, last Monday, was the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, while today he spoke with the Prime Ministers of Japan, Yoshihide Suga, of Australia, Scott Morrison, and with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, his team reported.
The number of countries that have not yet recognized Biden has been shrinking , but includes the two main powers of Latin America – Mexico and Brazil – as well as Russia and China.
Biden has made all of these calls without the help of the State Department, as is common in other US government transitions.
The Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, surprised on Tuesday when he assured in a press conference , asked about the lack of collaboration with Biden’s team, that in the United States there will be “a smooth transition” towards a second term for Donald Trump.
Pompeo remarked that “the votes are still being counted” and the process is expected to be completed.
The Trump campaign has filed several lawsuits in disputed states over vote counting alleging widespread electoral fraud, without any supporting evidence.
To win the court election, Trump would have to flip the ballot in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Nevada or Arizona, all of them states where Biden has already been declared the winner or is clearly leading the vote .
According to the latest counts, Biden has 290 delegates in the electoral college, above the magic number of 270 that gives victory, while Trump has 217 and 42 are left to decide.
