On the recordNovember 30, 2020
I see nobody within 15 or 20 feet of me, so I will take the mask off, and I appreciate the fact the distinguished Presiding Officer recognized who it was even with the mask. I have a couple of things that concern me. I was going through the history and looking at transitions between Presidents. I was struck by--even Presidents who did not like their successor--how hard they worked to make sure that everything was done properly for the good of the country. No matter how they might feel about themselves personally, they set the country first and foremost. I contrast that with what is happening now. Former Vice President, former U.S. Senator--I served with him--Joe Biden, got the most votes of any Democratic nominee for President in the history of this country--millions more than what President Trump got. He has an insurmountable lead in certified electoral votes. Yet the President, for weeks, refused even to carry out the law that we all voted for--Republicans and Democrats alike--to provide for transition whenever there is a transition, a law that was used quickly when President Trump was elected. Even though Hillary Clinton had millions more votes than he did, she conceded the election, and within a day, the transition began. The idea is, whoever is President must know what is going on. Certainly, the distinguished Presiding Officer, like all of us, has access to and gets intelligence briefings on what is happening around the world.…
