Impeachment article has 200 cosponsors: US rep.

The draft, citing "incitement of insurrection," could be introduced Monday.

Last Updated: January 11, 2021, 10:29 AM EST

President Donald Trump is slated to hand over control of the White House to President-elect Joe Biden in 11 days.

Jan 05, 2021, 11:05 AM EST

Results in Georgia runoffs could take days, might show 'red mirage' at first

Election Day is here in the two runoff races in Georgia that will determine whether Democrats or Republicans control the Senate, but there is unlikely to be a result Tuesday night, and it could be days until there is a clear winner.

Voters enter a polling station at the Zion Baptist Church, Jan. 5, 2021, in Marietta, Ga.
Sandy Huffaker/AFP via Getty Images

There's a strong chance that there will be a "red mirage" -- the early but misleading appearance that Republicans have won -- similar to what was seen in the general election in several battleground states.

Trump was leading by tens of thousands of votes in Georgia on election night in November, a fact not unique to the state but something President Trump and his allies cite when claiming baselessly that the election was rigged against him. 

It wasn't until Clayton County, the fifth largest and the most Democratic in the state, uploaded a batch of votes in the early hours of the Friday after the election that Biden surpassed Trump and took the lead in Georgia. 

In the Senate races, the six largest counties -- which all lean in Democrats' favor -- are going to take longer to count their votes than small, rural counties, which lean in Republicans' favor. 

Also, absentee ballots can be received up until 7 p.m. on Election Day, and these will still need to be processed, which is time-consuming. Voters whose absentee ballots are rejected (like for a missing signature) have until 5 p.m. Friday to "cure" their ballots. Military/overseas ballots are due by 5 p.m. on Friday as well. Voters who had to cast provisional ballots because they didn't have a photo ID also must follow up with their county election offices and prove their eligibility to vote by 5 p.m. Friday. 

On election night and in the days that follow, a "red mirage" or "blue shift" is not a sign that something nefarious is happening -- it just means the votes are being counted.

-ABC News' Quinn Scanlan

Jan 05, 2021, 12:23 AM EST

Trump pressures Pence in public over electoral vote count

At a rally billed as a last-minute push to save Republicans’ control of the Senate on the eve of two crucial runoff elections in Georgia, President Donald Trump spent the majority of his time on stage Monday continuing to push baseless and debunked voter fraud claims about the presidential election, despite losing reelection over two months ago.

“I don’t concede," Trump said Monday.

Then, he stunningly put pressure on Vice President Mike Pence ahead of Wednesday’s certification of the Electoral College vote.

"I hope Mike Pence comes through for us, I have to tell you. I hope that our great Vice President -- our great Vice President comes through for us. He’s a great guy. Of course, if he doesn't come through, I won't like him quite as much," Trump said Monday night. "No, Mike is a great guy. He’s a -- he’s a -- he’s a wonderful man and a smart man."

Pence will be tasked Wednesday with overseeing a joint session of Congress at which the Electoral College vote will be certified, officially and finally determining former Vice President Joe Biden to be the president-elect.

-ABC News' Will Steakin and Justin Gomez

Jan 04, 2021, 9:34 PM EST

Trump addresses rally in Georgia ahead of state's runoffs

Trump arrived in Georgia Monday night to campaign for Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue ahead of state's runoff elections on Tuesday.

"There's no way we lost Georgia. There's no way. It was a rigged -- that was a rigged election," the president said after taking the stage at a rally in Dalton.

President Donald Trump and Ivanka Trump, right, board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Jan. 4, 2021, for a short trip to Andrews Air Force Base, Md., and then on to Dalton, Ga. for a rally.
Andrew Harnik/AP

Trump's visit to Georgia comes after his extraordinary call this weekend in which he asked Georgia's top election official to "find" enough votes for him to overturn the state's election results. The call has threatened to exacerbate a schism among top Republicans -- and has put a renewed focus on Vice President Mike Pence who will preside over the certification of the Electoral College votes Wednesday.

Trump pressure on Georgia election official puts spotlight on Pence, other top Republicans

"I hope Mike Pence comes through for us. I have to tell you. I hope that our great vice president comes through for us. He is a great guy. Of course, if he doesn't come through, I won't like him quite as much," Trump told the crowd.

Jan 04, 2021, 5:26 PM EST

Biden to Georgians on eve of Senate runoffs: 'The power is literally in your hands'

Biden stumped for Democratic Senate candidates Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff at a drive-in rally in Atlanta on Monday afternoon -- on the eve of runoff races which will determine which party holds power in the U.S. Senate.

"Georgia, the whole nation is looking to you to lead us forward, for real," Biden said. "The power is literally in your hands. Unlike any time in my career -- one state -- can chart the course, not just for the next four years, but for the next generation."

PHOTO: President-elect Joe Biden speaks as he campaigns on behalf of Democratic U.S. Senate candidates from Georgia Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, ahead of their January 5 run-off elections, during a drive-in campaign rally in Atlanta, Jan. 4, 2021.
President-elect Joe Biden speaks as he campaigns on behalf of Democratic Senate candidates from Georgia Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, ahead of their January 5 run-off elections, during a drive-in campaign rally in Atlanta, Jan. 4, 2021.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

Illustrating the immediate impact of the races, Biden argued greater coronavirus pandemic relief is dependent on Democrats winning both seats and, thus, granting Vice President-elect Kamala Harris the power to cast tie-breaking votes in the Senate.

"If you send Jon and the Reverend to Washington, those $2,000 checks will go out the door, restoring hope and decency and honor for so many people who are struggling right now. And if you send Senators Perdue and Loeffler back to Washington, those checks will never get there," Biden argued. "It's just that simple."

"You have two senators who think their loyalty is to Trump, not to Georgia. You have two senators who think they've sworn an oath to Donald Trump, not to the United States’ Constitution," Biden continued. "And as President, I don't believe your United States' Senators are gonna work for me. They work for the people of Georgia."

Though Biden didn’t directly comment on Trump’s explosive phone call in which he pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" the exact number of votes he would need to overturn election results in the state, Biden did take a swipe at Trump's work ethic. 

"The president spends more time whining and complaining than doing something about the problem," Biden quipped. "I don't know why he still wants the job. He doesn't want to do the work."

Trump is scheduled to headline a "victory rally" for GOP Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue in Dalton, Georgia, in the evening.

Related Topics