Pope Francis congratulates Biden for election win as president-elect calls for immigrants to be welcomed into US
POPE Francis congratulated President-elect Joe Biden on his election win as the former vice president calls for immigrants and refugees to be welcomed in the United States.
thanked for “extending blessings and congratulations” while praising the pope for his leadership in “promoting peace, reconciliation and the common bonds of humanity around the world.”
Biden’s transition team put out a statement that read, “The president-elect expressed his desire to work together on the basis of a shared belief in the dignity and equality of all humankind on issues such as caring for the marginalized and the poor.
“Addressing the crisis of climate change, and welcoming and integrating immigrants and refugees into our communities,” the statement read.
Biden will be the second-ever Catholic president, joined only by former President John F. Kennedy.
President will remain behind closed door on Thursday, after a quick outing Wednesday to mark Veterans Day.
Biden on the other hand, has been meeting with transition advisers in Wilmington, Delaware and has named Ron Klain as his chief of staff.
The president-elect has called Trump’s refusal to concede “an embarrassment.”
“I just think it’s an embarrassment, quite frankly. The only thing that, how can I say this tactfully, I think it will not help the president’s legacy,” Biden said in Wilmington.
“At the end of the day, you know, it’s all going to come to fruition on January 20.”
On Saturday, every major news outlet in the US began calling the race for Biden after winning Pennsylvania, which propelled him beyond the 270 Electoral Votes needed to win the presidency.
Following Biden’s victory, a furious Trump launched lawsuits in several battleground states and has repeatedly claimed it was a “rigged election.”
Meanwhile, the Biden transition team and the Trump administration are in a standoff over whether Biden should be granted access to federal resources allocated for the transition of power.
Since the Biden win, several Republican Senators have began to break away from Trump's refusal to concede and have agreed to allow Biden to receive an intelligence briefing.
On Thursday, Republican Senator James Lankford, a member of the Oversight Committee, told an Oklahoma radio station that
Lankford said he came to the conclusion based on President Bill Clinton allowing George Bush to receive the briefings even as Al Gore challenged the 2000 election results.
The Republican senator said Vice President-elect should also receive briefings.
“There’s nothing wrong with a former vice president getting those. Kamala Harris is on the Intelligence Committee, she has all the clearance she needs to be able to do that. There is no loss from him getting the briefings,” he said.
Lankford said the General Services Administration could certify the election results by Friday and he will push for Biden to receive the briefings.
“If that’s not occurring by Friday, I will step in to be able to push them and say this needs to occur, so that regardless of the outcome of the election … people can be ready for that task.”
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Republican Senator Chuck Grassley also said Biden should receive the briefings, telling that the incoming president should have access to classified intel.
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“I would think – especially on classified briefings – the answer is yes,” Grassley said.
Senate Majority Whip John Thune agreed that Biden should receive classified briefings, "Well, I think that it probably makes sense to prepare for all contingencies," Thune told .