There will be a smooth transition to the second term of the Trump administration,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said during a press conference at the State Department on Tuesday.
Pompeo’s comments came in response to a reporter’s question during a State Department news conference on Tuesday, when Pompeo was asked if the State Department was prepared to engage with Biden’s transition team.
“There will be a smooth transition into the second term of the Trump administration,” Pompeo replied.
“We’re ready to go,” Pompeo continued. “The world is watching what’s happening. We will count all the votes. When the process is complete, (states) electors will be chosen. There’s a process for that. The constitution lays it out very clearly. The world should have full confidence to ensure that the State Department operates today …… and makes the necessary transition successfully with a president who takes office a minute after noon on January 20.”
Pompeo said, “I’m the Secretary of State. I’m getting calls from all over the world. These people are looking at our election. They understand that we have a legal process. They understand it’s going to take time.” , he said, referring to the time it took Bush and Gore to pursue legal action in the 2000 election.
He said, “I’m very confident that we will count, we have to count, every legitimate vote that was cast. We have to make sure that any vote that was not done legitimately should not be counted. If it is done improperly, it dilutes your vote. It’s important to get that right. When we get the vote count right, we get the election right. We’re in good shape.”
He also dismissed as “absurd” another reporter’s question about whether he had directed diplomats to refer to Biden as “the president-elect” and whether Trump’s refusal to accept the results undermined the State Department’s frequent statements calling for free and fair elections in other countries.
“It’s absurd, you know it’s absurd, and you’re asking because it’s absurd,” Pompeo said. “This department cares very much about making sure that elections around the world are safe and secure and free and fair, and my officials risk their lives to make sure that happens. They work diligently for that. We often encounter situations where we don’t have clarity about an election. We work hard to make discoveries, to find out whether in fact the results, the decisions that were made, reflect the will of the people. That’s our responsibility.”
“The American electoral system is deeply embedded in our Constitution, and we want to make sure we get that right.” He added. “You want every (legal) vote to be counted. You want to run that process. We want the end result to reflect the reality of what’s happening, and that’s what I think we’re engaged in here in the United States, and that’s what we’re engaged in every part of the world.”
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