Joe Biden has already spoken with some Republican senators and governors, but not Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, according to Ron Klain, who has been tapped as Biden's chief of staff.
"I'm not going to go into the names," Klain told NBC News' Lawrence O'Donnell Thursday night. "I think Sen. McConnell still seems to be insisting somehow that President [Donald] Trump won the election. He didn't. There will be a time and a place for Joe Biden and Sen. McConnell to talk."
But the two don't need an introduction, as they have "worked together, they have fought each other" over the years, and they will "have a working relationship when the time comes," said Klain. "I think that will all proceed forward in a very fine, efficient way."
Biden has spoken with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and is "focused on what we need to do right now, right now, even during this transition period, to get the American people the help they need to deal with the impacts of this coronavirus crisis."
The presumptive president-elect's transition period has been delayed while Trump and his campaign mount legal defenses in several states over claims of voter fraud. Klain said the refusal of the administrator of the General Services Administration to approve of the transfer of power is "unreasonable," especially considering the COVID-19 crisis, as the incoming administration must work with those planning the upcoming vaccination campaign.
Klain also told O'Donnell that Kamala Harris will have a large role in the new White House as vice president and that she and Biden will work closely together.
"They have been meeting together virtually every day with the senior transition team to plan on who will be in the Cabinet," said Klain. "She's going to be the last voice he hears from before he makes important decisions. It's been impressive to see the range of experiences and perspectives she brings to this."
Biden also has years of foreign policy experience and has spoken to several leaders, including Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and even Pope Francis, he added.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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