Trump-Biden transition: Attorney Sidney Powell back at White House

Powell has pushed Trump to issue an executive order to seize voting machines.

Last Updated: December 21, 2020, 10:34 AM EST

President Donald Trump is slated to hand over control of the White House to President-elect Joe Biden in 31 days.

Dec 15, 2020, 12:47 AM EST

Washington election officials threatened

Election officials in Washington have received violent threats online, according to Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman.

Those threats include images of officials with scope crosshairs over their profiles, and their home and email addresses being made public.

"This continued escalation of harassing and threatening behavior in the public sphere has to stop," Wyman said in a statement Monday. "Sites like this are appalling and have no space in our democracy and the peaceful transition of power."

Washington's 12 electoral votes went to Biden.

Wyman said while the state will continue to take accusations of voter fraud seriously, "my office has yet to receive evidence of massive voter fraud."

Washington House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox and Senate Republican Leader John Braun condemned the violent rhetoric Monday and affirmed trust with the state's election results and officials.

“We have recently seen shocking evidence of a threat to a Washington state election official... The harassment and threats to state election officials must stop. We categorically denounce these actions and any threats of political violence," the pair said in a statement Monday. “We continue to have confidence in the 2020 election results in our state and the work of Secretary of State Kim Wyman and her staff over the last several years."

Dec 14, 2020, 8:16 PM EST

Biden calls for nation to 'turn the page' and unite against COVID

President-elect Joe Biden ended his first speech following the Electoral College vote with an appeal to all Americans to unite as the coronavirus continues to spread.

He acknowledged the latest grim milestone in the pandemic, 300,000 Americans killed by the virus.

"My heart goes out to each of you in this dark winter of the pandemic, about to spend the holidays and the new year with a black hole in your hearts, without the ones you loved at your side," he said.

Just as he did during his speech on Nov. 7 when he was declared the winner of the presidential election, Biden invoked his Catholic faith in his call for comfort and cited the prayer of St. Francis.

"For where there is discord, union. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is darkness, light," Biden said.

Biden reiterated that he will be a "president for all Americans" and called on everyone to "lower the temperature" and come together.

"We're a great nation. We're good people. We may come from different places, hold different beliefs, but we share in common a love for this country, a belief in its limitless possibilities," he said. "For we, the United States of America, has always set the example for the world, for a peaceful transition of power."

Dec 14, 2020, 7:59 PM EST

Biden accepts Electoral College win, says Trump refuses to accept will of people

President-elect Joe Biden addressed the nation, just minutes after the Electoral College declared him the victor of the 2020 election and reflected on the long road it took to get to this stage.

Biden, who was awarded 306 electoral votes, commended the American public, particularly election workers and officials, for running the election during the deadliest pandemic in recent history.

"The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago, and we now know-nothing, not even a pandemic or an abuse of power can extinguish that flame," he said during the nearly 15-minute speech.

PHOTO: President-elect Joe Biden delivers a televised address to the nation, after the Electoral College formally confirmed his victory over President Donald Trump  in Wilmington, Del., Dec. 14, 2020.
President-elect Joe Biden delivers a televised address to the nation, after the Electoral College formally confirmed his victory over President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, from Biden's transition headquarters in Wilmington, Del., Dec. 14, 2020.
Mike Segar/Reuters

Biden noted that his Electoral College tally equaled President Donald Trump's 2016 victory.

"By his own standards, these numbers represented a clear victory then, and I respectfully suggest they do so now," he said.

Biden had harsher words for the president and some of his GOP supporters who backed his weeks of legal challenges to overturn the results of the election. He slammed the failed lawsuit issued by Texas' attorney general to invalidate votes in swing states.

"It's a position so extreme we've never seen it before, a position that refused to respect the rule of the people, refused to respect the rule of law and refused to honor our Constitution. Thankfully a unanimous Supreme Court immediately and completely rejected this effort," he said.

"The courts sent a clear signal to President Trump that they would be no part of an unprecedented assault on our democracy."

Dec 14, 2020, 6:45 PM EST

Trump tweets Barr resigning moments after Biden wins Electoral College vote

Moments after Biden secured his Electoral College victory, Trump tweeted that Attorney General Bill Barr has resigned.

"Just had a very nice meeting with Attorney General Bill Barr at the White House. Our relationship has been a very good one, he has done an outstanding job! As per letter, Bill will be leaving just before Christmas to spend the holidays with his family," Trump said in a tweet, attaching Barr's resignation letter in a thread.

PHOTO: U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr and President Donald Trump walk to their cars  after landing at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, Sept. 1, 2020.
U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr and President Donald Trump walk to their cars after landing at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, Sept. 1, 2020.
Leah Millis/Reuters, FILE

The resignation comes after Trump and Barr's relationship deteriorated in the weeks following the election. Barr, earlier this month, directly undercut allegations being made by Trump and his legal team when he said the Justice Department had uncovered no evidence of widespread voter fraud that would tip the results of the presidential election.

Barr's letter praises Trump for his leadership, casts him as a victim of "partisan onslaught" and "relentless" resistance and echoes some of his most scathing criticism targeting the Russia investigation. He makes no mention of the tensions that have recently flared between the two, and even seeks to play to Trump on the way out the door, noting that their meeting was on voter fraud in the 2020 election and allegations he says are still being pursued.

Trump also announced on Twitter that Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen will become Acting Attorney General -- for the final five weeks of his presidency.

-ABC News' Alexander Mallin

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