WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th December, 2020) The Trump re-election campaign continues to wage its legal war in key battleground states as the deadline for states to certify election results looms Tuesday.
US law requires all state election disputes, including recounts and legal challenges, to be resolved by Tuesday. It is called safe harbor because it provides time to ensure there are no issues when the Electoral College proceedings take place on December 14.
So far, 47 US states have certified results except Missouri, New Jersey, and Hawaii, which are not currently being contested by President Donald Trump's legal team.
A candidate must receive 270 electoral votes to become US president. As of Monday afternoon, Biden has 306 certified electoral votes and Trump has 221.
The Trump campaign and Republican party have lost more than 40 legal challenges in key battleground states, including Michigan, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada, and Arizona.
Trump has claimed mass voter irregularities and fraud occurred in the key swing states, however, US state and federal judges have repeatedly rejected those allegations due to failures in their legal proceedings or lack of credible evidence.
Earlier on Monday, US federal judges in Michigan and Georgia rejected the Trump campaign's bid to invalidates votes that would overturn the election. Similar key decisions are expected on Tuesday for similar legal challenges in Arizona and Wisconsin.
Another key decision is expected from the US Supreme Court this week regarding the elections in Pennsylvania. Republican Congressman Mike Kelly has asked the court to block the certification of election results in the battleground state over allegations that state officials violated election laws.
After state election results are certified, the Electoral College will meet virtually on December 14 to cast the official ballots for the US presidential election.
The US Congress will confirm the electoral votes on January 6 followed by Inauguration Day on January 20 when the president-elect and vice president-elect will be sworn in.
In November, Trump authorized the General Services Administration to initiate a formal transition to the Biden team despite continuing to dispute the outcome of the presidential election.
Biden, who has been projected to win by major US media networks, has already announced several picks for his incoming administration. The former vice president has picked Antony Blinken to be Secretary of State, Avril Haines to be Director of National Intelligence, Linda Thomas-Greenfield to be US Ambassador to the United Nations, former top US diplomat John Kerry to be US Special Envoy for Climate, and former Federal Reserve chairwoman Janet Yellen to lead the Treasury Department.
Biden has also picked California Attorney General Xavier Becerra for the position of Health Secretary, Anthony Fauci for the position Chief Medical Adviser on COVID-19 and Rochelle Walensky for director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Biden's pick for Defense Secretary will be announced on Friday and his pick for Attorney General is expected later this week as well. Politico reported near the end of the day on Monday that Biden will nominate former commander of US Central Command, retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, to be his Secretary of Defense.
