US election: Trump's administration blocks Joe Biden from accessing congratulatory messages
- President Donald Trump has continued to insist he won the US election
- His rival Joe Biden's team has complained over his refusal to facilitate a smooth transition
- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a close Trump confidant, opened the pandora's box by declaring the 74-year-old won't hand over power
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The United States presidential election has taken a new twist after outgoing President Donald Trump blocked projected President-elect Joe Biden from accessing felicitations from leaders across the world.
According to a report by CNN, dozens of messages have not been received by Biden after the state department refused to release them following the Republican leader's refusal to accept results of the highly contested election.
Source: Getty Images
Even though Biden has talked with various foreign leaders, he has reportedly lacked the logistical and translation support normally provided by the state department operations center.
The 45th US president was also reported to have obstructed Biden from accessing the same intelligence briefs he gets signaling tough transition times for the Democrat ahead of his swearing-in ceremony in January 2021.
In previous elections, the state department ensured a smooth transition process by ensuring everything that was needed by the incoming president was provided on time.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, November 10, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a close Trump confidant opened the pandora's box by declaring the 74-year-old won't hand over power.
Biden's legal team is on the other hand considering a legal action to force Trump's administration to begin the transition process, Forbes reported.
The General Services Administration (GSA) which is mandated to recognise the president-elect is yet to do so raising eyebrows despite Biden leading with 279 Electoral Colleges and having surpassed the requited 270 mark with four states yet to announce results.
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In a related development, Legit.ng reported that as President Trump continues to reject the result, a large percentage of Americans have moved on by accepting Joe Biden of the Democratic Party as the president-elect following his projected victory by media outlets.
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Aanu Adegun Aanu Adegun is a journalist with over 9 years of experience in both digital and traditional media. A graduate of English Studies from Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo state. Aanu joined Legit.ng in 2016 covering politics and current affairs. Aanu started his journalism career as a features writer. He once anchored some specialised pages of a national newspaper. You can reach him via - aanu.adegun@corp.legit.ng
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