Rep. Cedric Richmond said the refusal of the vast majority of GOP members of Congress to recognize presumptive President-elect Joseph R. Biden as the winner of the 2020 race underscores how President Trump has “absolutely neutered” the Republican Party.
During an appearance on CNN, Mr. Richmond, who Mr. Biden tapped as a senior adviser in the White House Office of Public Engagement, was asked to weigh in on a Washington Post report that found that 27 out of the 249 Republicans in the House and Senate acknowledged Mr. Biden won the election.
“I think the American people should see it for what it is,” the Louisiana Democrat said. “It is a party scared of their president — a president who only cares about himself and a Republican Party that has been absolutely neutered.”
Mr. Trump has launched a series of largely unsuccessful legal challenges against the results of the election and maintains the process was rigged against him.
Mr. Richmond said the GOP’s reluctance to embrace Mr. Biden as president-elect is a distraction away from the pressing problems facing the nation such as the expiration of unemployment benefits and paid family leave.
“I would hope that those Republican members of Congress will focus on the American people, and that is what is so important right now as we head into these holidays,” he said. “I mean the stress of families is tremendous, and one of the reasons I supported Joe Biden very early is that he cares about other people more than he cares about himself, and I think that is what we need.”
Mr. Richmond said he is hopeful that Congress will pass a coronavirus relief package this week and said lawmakers should make another “investment in the American people” when the new Congress convenes next year.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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