COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday that he believes it’s time for President Donald Trump’s administration to begin the transition process with President-Elect Joe Biden.
DeWine is one of the few Republicans who have acknowledged Biden as the president-elect, while also continuing to reiterate that the White House and Trump have “every right” to go to court to adjudicate facts.
While Trump has continued to reject the results of the election, he and his administration have also broken with tradition by not letting Biden read the ultra-secret daily brief containing the nation’s most sensitive intelligence before inauguration.
The national intelligence director’s office has said that it can’t begin engaging with Biden’s team until a federal agency starts the process of transition, which the Trump administration is delaying.
On Sunday, DeWine reiterated Trump’s right to take the election results to court, but said it’s clear that Biden is the president-elect and the transition process needs to begin.
“I think we have to have faith in our judicial system, faith in our electoral system, and I’d say this to both sides of this and I was certainly a supporter and remain a supporter of the president,” DeWine said. “But the president has every right to go into court, every right to bring any kind of evidence that he has and no one should begrudge him that or say that there’s anything irregular about that.
“On the other hand, it’s clear that—certainly based on what we know now—that Joe Biden is the president-elect and that transition for the country’s sake, it’s important for a normal transition to start through.”
DeWine said that Trump can go on his legal track but said that “we also need to begin that process” of transition.
Last week, DeWine issued a statement congratulating Biden, although he hadn’t referred to him as “president-elect” at that time.
I congratulate Vice-President Biden. It would appear that President Trump's legal team will be filing legal actions. The President's lawyers have every right to present evidence in court on any legal issues or irregularities involving the election, and the courts are the proper place to hear evidence on these issues. When lawsuits have concluded and election results are certified, it is important for all Americans to honor the outcome.
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