Emmer won't call Biden president-elect

A man looks at the camera with a black background.
Rep. Tom Emmer at MPR in March. The Republican congressman, who backed a Texas lawsuit challenging the president election outcome, has refused to call Democrat Joe Biden the president-elect despite the official Electoral College vote on Monday.
Evan Frost | MPR News

Three days after the Electoral College affirmed the election outcome, Minnesota Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer still refuses to call Joe Biden the president-elect.

Emmer was pressed on the point Thursday during a forum convened by the Economic Club of Minnesota. He acknowledged the Electoral College has certified Biden's win over President Donald Trump but added that the process is not over.

"The media would like to declare the ultimate end to this process. I think certain elected officials would like to declare the end of this process, but as someone who was in a recount himself 10 years ago, I know that we need to respect the process whether you agree with it or not,” Emmer said. “Because once it's over you've got people that are going to be on one side or the other, and they've all got to be satisfied that our election was conducted in a fair and transparent manner."

Minnesota U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who participated in the forum with Emmer on Thursday, said the election is done and it’s time to stop spreading misinformation around the outcome to help ensure a smooth transfer of power.

“We know that we won this election,” she said.  "We're planning the inauguration, and we've got to make sure this is a peaceful transition and that people believe in our democracy."

Emmer and fellow Republican Reps. Jim Hagedorn and Pete Stauber backed a Texas challenge to the presidential election that the Supreme Court rejected last week without holding a hearing.

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