Mike Pompeo refuses to acknowledge Biden's win: 'There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration'

When asked on Tuesday if the State Department is preparing to work with President-elect Joe Biden's transition team, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo did not acknowledge that Biden is set to assume office.

"There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration," Pompeo said, echoing President Trump's baseless assertions he won the election.

The top American diplomat seemed to snicker at his comment, and went on to say that "the world is watching what is taking place here. We're going to count all the votes. … The world should have every confidence that the transition necessary to make sure the State Department is functional today, successful today, and successful with the president who's in office on Jan. 20th, a minute after noon."

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The world, anyway, appears to already be moving on, even if Trump administration officials are not. The U.K.'s Boris Johnson congratulated Biden on his victory Tuesday, joining other leaders like Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in acknowledging him as the next U.S. leader. Jeva Lange