Monday, November 30, 2020

Arizona certifies Biden as election winner, with Wisconsin expected to follow

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/arizona-wisconsin-election-certification-biden-trump

President Trump suffered another setback in his push to overturn his defeat in the presidential election, as Arizona on Monday certified President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the state.

The formalizing of the vote in Arizona leaves Wisconsin as the last remaining contested battleground state yet to certify its vote. Certification in Wisconsin is expected to take place later on Monday.

Torah not given on Sinai - Mizrachi

Mizrachi (Bamidbar 11:10) They cried amongst the families concerning the sexual relations that had been forbidden at Sinai In Sifri it states that when Moshe told them to separate from prohibited relations the Jews were distressed since some were married to a sister or the father’s sister or the sister of the mother. I don’t know why they were upset now after departing Sinai that they would cry about the separation ordered by Moshe several months before. In fact even though Moshe was told the prohibitions on Sinai possibly the Jewish people were not informed of these prohibitions until Sivan when the Mishkan was erected.

Ezer kenegdo - Netziv

Netziv (Bereishis 02:18.1)Ezer Kenegdo – We discussed the plain meaning. There is a well known medrash that Rashi cites which interprets this phrase to mean if he is deserving she will help him but if not she will be opposed to him. However even according to this medrash the wife as not created  to distress him so how is it possible to understand this phrase as being either a helper or opponent? It means the she should provide helpful opposition. For example if a person is prone to show anger and upset. If his wife supports and encourages him in this, even though at the time of anger he enjoys her agreement and support but later when he calms down he will be upset that his wife added fire and wood to his anger and upset and thus she actually was detrimental(kenegdo). In contrast if she would have opposed him initially and attempted to calm and placate him, even though it appears at that moment as opposition but she is in fact providing him with true help. The same can be said with all his other traits.Thus the meaning of ezer kenegdo is she should provide him with helpful opposition

Fired election security official calls fraud claims 'nonsense'; Trump slams system as 'international joke'

 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fired-elections-official-says-fraud-claims-nonsense-in-interview-trump-slams-system-as-international-joke

Former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Chris Krebs on Sunday emphatically defended the security of the 2020 election in the wake of his firing by President Trump, as the president slammed the report on Twitter and claimed that U.S. election security is an "international joke."

The firing drew immediate backlash from many in Congress, including Republicans, and from Krebs himself, who has repeatedly reiterated in online comments that there is "still no evidence that election systems and votes were manipulated." He doubled down on those claims on Sunday. 

"There is no foreign power that is flipping votes. There's no domestic actor flipping votes. I did it right. We did it right. This was a secure election," Krebs said.

Two Beit Shemesh teens accused of sexually abusing children for years

 https://www.ynetnews.com/article/HJtKpEMsv

Police say some of the abuses took place inside a local synagogue, while one of the teens, aged 16, is suspected of persuading the children, aged 4 and 7, to commit similar offenses on one another

Two teenagers from the Haredi city of Beit Shemesh have been arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing two small children over a period of two years, the police said Monday.

 

 

A leaderless America slips deep into a grim pandemic winter

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/30/politics/donald-trump-joe-biden-coronavirus-economy/index.html

 America is sliding into a winter limbo of alarming spikes in Covid-19 cases and deepening economic pain while an apathetic lame duck White House and a deadlocked Congress provide no political leadership.

The darkest holiday season in modern history beckons, yet President Donald Trump and his closest aides, sulking after his election defeat, are doing little to save lives, apart from claiming credit for a vaccine that represents a way out of the nightmare of 2020 but remains months away for most Americans.

 The current President spent Sunday firing off delusional new claims to bolster his fantasy that the election was stolen, which did nothing to advance his inept legal cases but further poisoned hopes of national unity when he's gone.

 

Trump: 'I'm ashamed that I endorsed' Kemp in Georgia

 https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/527882-trump-im-ashamed-that-i-endorsed-kemp-in-georgia

 "And the governor’s done nothing. He’s done absolutely nothing," Trump added of Kemp. "I’m ashamed that I endorsed him. But I look what’s going on. It's so terrible."

Sunday, November 29, 2020

Trump: DOJ 'missing in action' on alleged election fraud - Barr rigged election?!

 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-doj-missing-in-action-alleged-election-fraud

 He went on to tell host Maria Bartiromo in the exclusive interview that he has “not seen anything” from the DOJ or the Federal Bureau of Investigation on investigating the 2020 election.

“You would think if you’re in the FBI or Department of Justice, this is the biggest thing you could be looking at,” Trump said. “Where are they? I’ve not seen anything.”

“They just keep moving along and they go on to the next president,” he continued.

Trump, who has yet to concede to President-elect Joe Biden, went on to stress that he believes “this election was a fraud,” adding that he thinks it was “rigged,” claims he has repeatedly made.

Trump’s legal team is attempting to prove through various legal battles that the president is the rightful winner of the 2020 presidential election, despite Biden being the projected winner.

Trump Suggests FBI and Justice Department Led By His Own Appointees May Be 'Involved' With Rigging Election Against Him

 https://www.newsweek.com/trump-suggests-fbi-justice-department-led-his-own-appointees-may-involved-rigging-election-1551010

 President Donald Trump suggested that the FBI and Department of Justice, which are led by men he appointed, could be "involved" with allegedly rigging the election against him—despite presenting no evidence to support his unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud.

החשוד בהצתה: "תכננתי להפיץ בוואטספים"

 https://www.kikar.co.il/379660.html

 התירוץ של החשוד בהצתת גל השריפות בירושלים, כאשר התעורר נגדו החשד, היה כי הגיע לצלם את האש כדי להעלות בהמשך בוואטספ. ביהמ"ש שלח אותו לפסיכיאטר והאריך את מעצרו

Olmert to 'Post': Stop the Pollard festival

 https://www.jpost.com/opinion/olmert-to-post-stop-the-pollard-festival-650414

 Let us begin from the end: It is my opinion that it would be preferable if Pollard did not move to Israel, or at least not in the immediate future. For many years, I was one of the few people who handled this case, was informed of all its details, understood all of the facets, was aware of all the associated dangers, examined all of the circumstances and complications and took pains to get Pollard’s sentence reduced.

 Many American officials have asked how it is possible a person who Israel turned into a spy in the most sensitive of places within the American security establishment is then publicly praised in Israel. Many people feared Israel’s public backing of Pollard would lead to the questioning of where the loyalty of American Jews lies ,and how would it would affect public opinion and influence decision makers in American political and security institutions.

 

RNC Chair Struggles to Energize Georgia Republicans to Vote in Runoffs They See as Rigged

 https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/11/rnc-chair-struggles-georgia-vote-runoffs-rigged-trump.html

 Republicans in Georgia have been expressing concerns over the past few weeks that President Donald Trump’s baseless insistence that the election was marred by fraud could affect turnout in the two Senate runoffs in the state. And Saturday seemed to provide some evidence for that when Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel faced some pushback from skeptical voters at an event in Marietta, Georgia who questioned whether it wasn’t pointless to get involved in the process. One voter specifically asked McDaniel why they should bother to put in more “money and work when it’s already decided.” McDaniel insisted that “it’s not decided” but said that not turning out could be a deciding factor. “So if you lose your faith and you don’t vote and people walk away—that will decide it,” McDaniel said.

Saturday, November 28, 2020

Trump’s claims on vaccine, election are wrong

 https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-ap-fact-check-donald-trump-business-virus-outbreak-108077c4b716db604ee49b42c6d64af0

TRUMP: ”’President Trump told us for some time we would be getting a Vaccine by the end of the year and people laughed at him, and here we are with Pfizer getting FDA approval by the end of this month. He was right.’ @MariaBartiromo.” — tweet Tuesday.

 THE FACTS: Trump’s suggestion — quoting Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo — that he stood alone in saying a COVID-19 vaccine was possible by year’s end is incorrect. Actually, top health experts said they considered that possible, though far from certain, and were more skeptical of Trump’s claim that a coronavirus vaccine would become available before the Nov. 3 election. The vaccine isn’t expected to become widely available to the general public before 2021.

 

No evidence supports Trump’s claim that COVID-19 vaccine result was suppressed to sway election

 https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/11/fact-check-no-evidence-supports-trump-s-claim-covid-19-vaccine-result-was-suppressed

 In the wake of the dramatic news of a potentially effective COVID-19 vaccine, President Donald Trump posted a flurry of tweets that claimed its makers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Democrats had conspired to suppress the announcement until after the 3 November presidential election. The U.S. company involved, Pfizer, “didn’t have the courage to do it before,” Trump asserted on 9 November. And FDA and Democrats, he wrote, “didn’t want to have me get a Vaccine WIN, prior to the election, so instead it came out five days later.”

 

 

Trump's legal defeats pile up while his attacks on Georgia's election system raise GOP concerns

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/28/politics/donald-trump-election-georgia-runoffs/index.html

 "Without a doubt, if this continues, it's going to be a problem," Stewart said of Trump's baseless allegations about voting in Georgia. "I think every legal and legitimate vote should be counted, but at this stage of the game, to claim there's widespread voter fraud, this claim that there is an election hoax — we need to see some evidence. We need to see what he's talking about."

Friday, November 27, 2020

Dem leaders condemn Trump's pardon of Michael Flynn: 'Abuse of power'

 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democratic-leaders-condemn-trumps-pardoning-of-michael-flynn-abuse-of-power

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said that Trump's act was one of "grave corruption" and said that Flynn "must be held accountable" for a "serious and dangerous breach of our national security." 

House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who played a key role in Trump's impeachment investigation in the House last year, said Flynn's pardon was in line with the president's repeated abuse of the pardon power to "reward friends and protect those who covered up for him."

"This time he pardons Michael Flynn, who lied to hide his dealings with the Russians. It’s no surprise that Trump would go out as he came in — Crooked to the end," Schiff tweeted.

Thursday, November 26, 2020

Attorney Sidney Powell files lawsuit seeking Georgia election results be decertified, awarded to Trump

 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/sidney-powell-lawsuit-georgia-election-results-decertified-awarded-trump

 Attorney Sidney Powell filed a lawsuit in Georgia on Wednesday evening alleging “massive election fraud” that changed the state’s results in the 2020 election.  

The lawsuit, which names Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State and Chair of the Georgia State Election Board Brad Raffensperger among the defendants, alleges multiple Constitutional violations, citing fact witnesses, expert witnesses and statistical impossibilities within the election results, and says tens of thousands of votes were impacted -- enough to sway the state in favor of projected President-Elect Joe Biden.

 

 

Meiri and attitude towards women Mishlei 14:1

 


Meiri (Mishlei 14:1):Wisdom of women  this is a reminder that when getting married you chose an impressive wife. The ethical (musar) experts say you should not chose a wife based entirely on her wealth or beauty because those are transient characteristics. But rather chose based on her deeds and distinguished family.  But do not chose a wife who is too distinguished because she might view you as her slave

Covid-19: US Supreme Court backs religious groups over New York caps

 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55069040

 The court's action will not have an immediate impact since the groups that sued are no longer subject to the restrictions they fought against.

 

 

Supreme Court rules against Cuomo's coronavirus limits -- with Barrett playing key role

 https://www.foxnews.com/us/supreme-court-rules-against-cuomos-coronavirus-limits-with-barrett-playing-key-role

 The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday night blocked New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo from reimposing strict attendance caps at worship services in areas hit hard by the novel coronavirus

The court ruled 5-4 to bar Cuomo from enforcing his Oct. 6 “Cluster Initiative” against houses of worship that sued to challenge the restrictions. 

The order was also the first in which Justice Amy Coney Barrett played a decisive role. Barrett, who was President Trump's third Supreme Court nominee, joined the court Oct. 27, after winning Senate confirmation following the Sept. 18 death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

In a 5-4 ruling, Supreme Court sides with religious groups in a dispute over Covid-19 restrictions in New York

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/26/politics/supreme-court-religious-restrictions-ruling-covid/index.html

 In a 5-4 ruling, the US Supreme Court sided with religious organizations in a dispute over Covid-19 restrictions put in place by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo limiting the number of people attending religious services.

The case is the latest pitting religious groups against city and state officials seeking to stop the spread of Covid-19, and it highlights the impact of Justice Amy Coney Barrett on the Court. The decision comes as coronavirus cases surge across the country. 
 In court papers, lawyers for Cuomo argued that the restrictions were necessary to help stop the spread of Covid-19 and that houses of worship weren't being treated differently than similar secular businesses. They also said that while the dispute was pending, Cuomo had already lifted any restrictions that applied to the organizations.

Child sex trafficking: It's probably not what you think it is

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/25/us/child-sex-trafficking/index.html

 Shandel is among the many victims of sex trafficking, the commercial sexual exploitation of children. While the term trafficking evokes for many images of children kidnapped off the street, smuggled across borders and moved from place to place, that's rarely the case, social workers and researchers say.

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Study suggests plasma therapy for Covid-19 largely ineffective

 http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/291971

 The results of a medium-sized clinical trial conducted in Argentina suggest that one mode of treatment for coronavirus, that of using plasma harvested from people who have recovered from the illness, is not as effective as was previously hoped.

According to Reuters, the study involved 333 patients hospitalized with severe cases of pneumonia brought on by Covid-19 infection. The patients were randomly assigned to plasma treatment or placebo, and after 30 days, the mortality rate was almost identical in the two groups (11. % in the plasma-treated group versus 11.4% in the placebo group).

The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, which concluded that the therapy known as “convalescent plasma” did not cause any significant improvement to patients’ health or chances of recovery.

Debunking a feminist propaganda article II

 http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/291989

In my prior article, Debunking a Feminist Propaganda Article, I critiqued an article on the Israel National News site that I consider to be feminist propaganda, and I explained that fairness and balance in regard to Jewish men's rights is practically non-existent in much of the Jewish media.

A new article has appeared on the Israel National News site that I would like to discuss.

Once again, I'm not claiming to know the divorcing spouses in this latest Arutz Sheva article. Nor am I attempting to address which spouse is "right" or which spouse is "wrong" in any particular divorce case.

Some anti-male biases and Torah distortions I observe in the article linked above:

Trump Claims Credit for Dow's Record High, but Investors Hail Smooth Transition, COVID Vaccines

 https://www.newsweek.com/trump-claims-credit-dows-record-high-investors-hail-smooth-transition-covid-vaccines-1550069

 President Donald Trump was quick to claim responsibility for the boost, saying in a one-minute press conference: "That's a sacred number, 30,000. Nobody thought they'd ever see it. That's the 48th time we have broken records during the Trump administration."

 The rally is at odds with claims Trump made during the election campaign that a Biden victory would crash stock markets.

Donald Trump Shares Deep State Conspiracy Article That Says 'We Are at War'

 https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-deep-state-sidney-powell-article-1550067

President Donald Trump has shared a link to an article that refers to "crimes of the Deep State" and claims "treasonous swamp rats" are trying to steal the 2020 election.

The article, shared by the president amid a flurry of election-linked retweets as he continues to claim the result was tainted by fraud, refers to attorney Sidney Powell's "Release the Kraken" comments at a recent Trump campaign press conference.

It suggests the Kraken is actually a "cyber warfare program" that tracks and "aquires [sic] evidence of nefarious activities and crimes committed by the Deep State." It adds that this has allowed Trump, alongside "loyal patriots" in the military and Space Command, to have gathered the evidence they need to prove his claims of fraud.

The Tzadik Is Like A Tree

 https://ravberland.com/the-tzadik-is-like-a-tree-there-must-always-be-controversy-around-him/

Rebbe Nachman said: “All of the great Tzadikim reached their specific exalted level but remained there, I however, thank G-d every minute I become a new person”. He then gave a reason why people are against him, “For the tzadik is comparable to a tree (as in the verse “A tzadik blossoms like a palm tree), and every tzadik before he reaches his level there must be some kind of controversy surrounding him; people who are against him. For our sages say (Sanhedrin 7) controversy is comparable to water, and water is what is needed to make the tree grow. So each tzadik needed some kind of controversy in order to reach their level. I, however, need that there be controversy surrounding me always, and people always against me, because every time I need to grow higher and higher and cannot remain on the same level. For if I would know that I am standing now on the same level that I did an hour ago, I would feel as if there is no reason for me to be in this world.”

COVID Vaccine Side Effects Include High Fever, Body Aches and Bad Headaches

 https://www.newsweek.com/covid-vaccine-side-effects-include-high-fever-body-aches-bad-headaches-experts-say-1550029

 As the world inches closer to effective COVID-19 vaccines becoming available, public health experts are warning that people should be prepared for the possibility that they could experience severe, but ultimately unharmful, side effects after being given the vaccines.

Vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer, both given in two doses approximately one month apart, could soon be approved for public use after data released from clinical trials showed that they may be up to 95 percent effective in providing immunity against the virus. While neither vaccine is believed to come with significant life-threatening side effects, experts are warning that those who receive the vaccines should be ready for unpleasant but temporary reactions.

Fox News Ratings Plummet After Election. Is President Trump’s Criticism the Cause?

 https://time.com/5915461/fox-news-ratings-plummet/

Fox’s daytime viewership dropped 32 percent from the two weeks prior to Election Day to the two weeks after, the Nielsen company said.

The post-election, weekday average daytime viewership of 1.63 million was roughly equivalent to that of CNN (1.68 million) and MSNBC (1.71 million). CNN was up 33% and MSNBC up 9% during that time period, Nielsen said.

 

Trump told confidants he intends to pardon Michael Flynn

 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-flynn-pardon-michael-flynn

 President Trump reportedly intends to pardon former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, one in a series to be issued before he leaves office.

 Axios first reported the news Tuesday, citing two sources with direct knowledge. Sources with knowledge of the president’s thinking also told Fox News he plans to pardon Flynn.

Flynn pleaded guilty in December 2017 to misleading the FBI about his contact with Russia, and has came to symbolize for conservatives how Justice Department officials abused their power in the Russia investigation.

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

How legislation led to 80 women being freed from agunah status

 http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/291875

 The biannual conference of the standing committee of the Conference of European Rabbis was held online this year. Participating in the discussions was the head of the Knesset’s Regulatory Committee, MK Yaakov Asher of the United Torah Judaism party.

MK Asher praised the work of the Conference and told its President, Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, that, “The amendment made to the laws regulating rabbinical courts in Israel that grants them legal authority in cases of agunot [women estranged from their husbands whose husbands refuse to divorce them -ed.] for women living outside Israel has led to 80 women being freed of their agunah status, from all over the world.”

Ultra-Orthodox trust rabbis on COVID-19 far more than medical officials

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/ultra-orthodox-trust-rabbis-on-covid-19-far-more-than-medical-officials-650078

 A new study polling attitudes in the ultra-Orthodox sector in Israel to the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that while members of the community are fully aware of the dangers of the disease, they are far more trusting and willing to follow the orders of their rabbis than those of the government and state institutions.

Dr. Shuki Friedman, director of the Center for Religion and State at the Israel Democracy Institute that commissioned the survey, said it demonstrated that the community’s behavior during the crisis came about not due to a lack of understanding of the serious threat posed by COVID-19 but instead due to a conscious choice to prioritize community values above others.

NYC to levy 15K fine against Brooklyn synagogue that held illegal wedding

 https://www.foxnews.com/us/nyc-to-levy-15k-fine-against-brooklyn-synagogue-that-held-illegal-wedding

 City Hall will levy a $15,000 fine against the Brooklyn synagogue that broke social distancing regulations by hosting thousands at a clandestine wedding for the grandson of a top religious official in the Hasidic community, Mayor Bill de Blasio said late Monday.

Hizzoner announced the fine and summons the day after The Post exposed how thousands packed into the Yetev Lev temple in South Williamsburg on Nov. 8 — dancing and singing at the top of their lungs with nary a mask in sight as they celebrate the nuptials of Yoel Teitelbaum, the grandson of Satmar Grand Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum.

In tapping Blinken, Biden will be served by confidant with deep Jewish roots

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-tapping-blinken-biden-will-be-served-by-confidante-with-deep-jewish-roots/

 It was the height of the Second Intifada, and the Clinton administration’s Middle East envoy was having breakfast in a near-empty dining hall at Jerusalem’s King David Hotel. While so many foreigners had been avoiding the flashpoint city that was reeling under a wave of suicide bombings, Dennis Ross recalls how two guests from the United States made a point of being in the Jewish state during the trying time and had joined him at breakfast that day: Senator Joe Biden and his foreign policy aide Antony Blinken.

Rep. Tlaib under fire over tweets on Blinken

 http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/291852

 Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) is coming under fire for a series of tweets criticized as being anti-Semitic.

On Sunday, when commenting on the nomination of Tony Blinken as Secretary of State, Tlaib wrote, “So long as he doesn't suppress my First Amendment right to speak out against Netanyahu's racist and inhumane policies. The Palestinian people deserve equality and justice.”

Then, on Monday, she tweeted, “Sec. Pompeo has moved to suppress BDS, a peaceful protest movement protected by the 1st Amendment. I hope that Mr. Blinken and President-Elect Biden’s Administration will change course from Trump’s State Department & not target or suppress support of Palestinian human rights.”

Top Scientist Left Stunned by 'Very Odd' Hydroxychloroquine Senate Hearing

 https://www.newsweek.com/top-scientist-hydroxychloroquine-senate-hearing-1549061

A top physician has been left "stunned" after attending a Senate hearing during which experts discussed the use of the controversial anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as a COVID-19 therapy for more than two hours.

Ashish K. Jha, Dean of the School of Public Health at Brown University, was one of four expert witnesses at a Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee hearing focused on the early treatment of COVID-19 patients.

Jha said in a Twitter thread that the other three witnesses "strongly supported" hydroxychloroquine — a drug that was touted by President Donald Trump earlier in the pandemic. Since then a consensus has emerged in the scientific community that the drug, which is widely used to treat malaria, is not an effective therapy against COVID-1

A dark money mystery in Florida centers on the campaign of a spoiler candidate who appeared to help a Republican win by 32 votes

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/23/politics/florida-dark-money-mystery-invs/index.html

 A month before Election Day in Florida a mysterious company called Proclivity, Inc. contributed $550,000 to a pair of newly formed political action committees in the state.

Two days later, the money flowed from the PACs to an Orlando-area print and advertising firm.
Shortly thereafter, came a torrent of nearly identical political fliers seemingly intended to siphon away support from Democratic candidates by tricking voters into casting their ballots for purported spoiler candidates who demonstrated no real interest in getting elected. None, for example, engaged in typical campaigning activities or raised significant funds.
In one case, the mailers appear to have helped a Republican—a co-founder of Latinas For Trump—unseat the Democratic incumbent in a state Senate race by a razor-thin margin of just 32 votes.

Trump's legal team criticized by Rush Limbaugh

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/live-updates-election-legal-11-24-2020 

 Rush Limbaugh knocked President Trump's legal team for underdelivering at last week's widely-hyped press conference alleging widespread voter fraud that stole a "landslide" victory from their client.

 

 

GSA chief informs President-elect Biden that formal transition process can begin

 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gsa-chief-letter-president-elect-biden-formal-transition-process-resources

U.S. General Services Administration chief Emily Murphy informed President-elect Joe Biden on Monday that her agency has formally ascertained him as the apparent winner of the 2020 presidential election and would move ahead with transition proceedings.

In a series of tweets, President Trump thanked Murphy for her handling of the ascertainment process since Election Day. The president pledged to continue his legal challenge of election results.

“I want to thank Emily Murphy at GSA for her steadfast dedication and loyalty to our Country,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “She has been harassed, threatened, and abused – and I do not want to see this happen to her, her family, or employees of GSA. Our case STRONGLY continues, we will keep up the good fight, and I believe we will prevail!”

“Nevertheless, in the best interest of our Country, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same,” Trump added.