csmonitor--2020-12-15--'The election is over': GOP, McConnell move to accept Biden win

For the first time , a groundswell of leading Republicans said Monday that Democrat Joe Biden is the winner of the presidential election , essentially abandoning President Donald Trump ’ s assault on the outcome after the Electoral College certified the vote .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) also broke his silence on Mr. Biden ’ s November win after weeks in which the Republican and other GOP leaders refused to contradict President Donald Trump ’ s fallacious declarations that he was the victor in an election marred by fraud .
With states affirming the results , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to declare Mr. Biden the president-elect , as the tally showed , or keep standing silently by as Mr. Trump wages a potentially damaging campaign to overturn the election .
“ I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden , ” Mr. McConnell said .
“ Many of us had hoped the presidential election would yield a different result , ” he said .
`` But our system of government has the processes to determine who will be sworn in on Jan. 20 .
The Electoral College has spoken.
” Mr. McConnell made his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a day after the Electoral College formally affirmed Mr. Biden ’ s victory .
On Monday , several other top Senate Republicans said it was time to concede that Mr. Biden had won .
“ At some point you have to face the music , ” said Sen. John Thune of South Dakota , the second-ranking GOP leader .
“ Once the Electoral College settles the issue today , it ’ s time for everybody to move on.
” Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri , the chairman of the inaugural committee , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vice President Biden as the president-elect.
” Just last week , the Republicans on the inauguration committee had declined to publicly do so .
He said Monday ’ s Electoral College vote “ was significant.
” Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn said barring further legal challenges it appears Mr. Biden will be president .
“ That ’ s sort of the nature of these elections .
You got to have a winner .
You got to have a loser , ” Mr. Cornyn said , adding that once Mr. Trump ’ s legal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s on a path to be president of the United States.
” The turnaround comes nearly six weeks after Election Day .
Many Republicans have ridden out the time in silence , enabling Mr. Trump to wage an unprecedented challenge to the nation ’ s cherished system of voting .
Some GOP lawmakers have vowed to carry the fight to Jan. 6 , when Congress votes to accept or reject the Electoral College results .
Others have said Mr. Trump ’ s legal battles should continue toward resolution by inauguration day , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a very , very narrow path for the president , ” said Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C. , a top Trump ally .
“ But having said that , I think we ’ ll let those legal challenges play out.
” Historians and election officials have warned that Mr. Trump ’ s unfounded claims of voter fraud threaten to erode Americans ’ faith in the election system , and that lawmakers have a responsibility under the oath of office to defend the Constitution .
“ The campaign to overturn the outcome is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a professor of history and public policy at Princeton .
“ This is a Republican operation , not a presidential operation , ” Mr. Zelizer said .
“ Without their silence , he couldn ’ t do what he is doing.
” Mr. Trump is trying to throw out the ballots of thousands of Americans , particularly those who voted by mail , in dozens of lawsuits that have mostly failed .
His legal team is claiming irregularities , even though Attorney General William Barr , who abruptly resigned Monday , has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fraud that would alter the election results .
State election officials , including Republicans , have said the election was fair and valid .
In a decisive blow to Mr. Trump ’ s legal efforts , the Supreme Court last week declined to take up two of his cases challenging the election process in key states .
Former Senate GOP leader Trent Lott said Monday there is little reason for Mr. Trump to continue the fight .
“ I don ’ t see many avenues left for the president to pursue , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Once the Electoral College has voted , most people are going to recognize Joe Biden as the president-elect.
” Former House Speaker John Boehner , a Republican , has also said it ’ s clear that Mr. Biden is the winner , stating in a forum last month that , “ The election is over , in everybody ’ s mind except Donald Trump.
” Before Monday , just a handful of current Republican elected officials in Congress had acknowledged Mr. Biden as president-elect .
Even fewer have reached out to congratulate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Collins , Mitt Romney , and Lisa Murkowski have been most outspoken in declaring Mr. Biden the winner .
Others said they were waiting for the Electoral College vote , which is normally a routine step in the elections process but has been amplified by Mr. Trump ’ s refusal to concede .
“ Although I supported President Trump , the Electoral College vote today makes clear that Joe Biden is now President-Elect , ” said Sen .
Rob Portman , R-Ohio , in a statement .
Still , many Republicans in Congress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ battles .
Some 120 House Republicans signed on to the failed Texas lawsuit last week asking the Supreme Court to take up the case seeking to throw out election results in the swing-states of Pennsylvania , Michigan , Wisconsin , and Georgia .
GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas , who volunteered to argue the case before the Supreme Court , was holding a telephone town hall Monday urging “ participation in the fight to defend the integrity ” of the election .
One House Republican , Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ results on Jan. 6 , when Congress convenes a joint session to receive the outcome .
At that time , any challenge in Congress would need to be raised by at least one member of the House and Senate .
It ’ s unclear if any GOP senator will join in making the case .
It appears highly unlikely there is enough congressional support to overturn the election .
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Monday that it ’ s as if Mr. Biden has to win “ again and again and again @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Many Republicans are unwilling to declare Mr. Biden the winner for the same reasons they avoided standing up to Mr. Trump during his presidency .
The president remains popular back home , and they are reluctant to cross him or risk public retribution from him on Twitter and beyond .
As Mr. Trump prepares to leave office , his supporters are voters lawmakers need for their own reelections .
Rep. Alex Mooney , R-W.Va. , introduced a resolution in Congress last week suggesting no one be declared president-elect until all investigations are completed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him last month demanding he do more to support Mr. Trump .
Overhanging their calculations is the Georgia runoff election Jan. 5 that will decide control of the Senate .
Incumbent GOP senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler need Mr. Trump ’ s support to defend their seats against Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Rafael Warnock .
This story was reported by The Associated Press .

For the first time, a groundswell of leading Republicans said Monday that Democrat Joe Biden is the winner of the presidential election, essentially abandoning President Donald Trump’s assault on the outcome after the Electoral College certified the vote.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) also broke his silence on Mr. Biden’s November win after weeks in which the Republican and other GOP leaders refused to contradict President Donald Trump’s fallacious declarations that he was the victor in an election marred by fraud.
With states affirming the results, the Republicans faced a pivotal choice – to declare Mr. Biden the president-elect, as the tally showed, or keep standing silently by as Mr. Trump wages a potentially damaging campaign to overturn the election.
“I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden,” Mr. McConnell said. “Many of us had hoped the presidential election would yield a different result,” he said. "But our system of government has the processes to determine who will be sworn in on Jan. 20. The Electoral College has spoken.”
Mr. McConnell made his remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday, a day after the Electoral College formally affirmed Mr. Biden’s victory. On Monday, several other top Senate Republicans said it was time to concede that Mr. Biden had won.
“At some point you have to face the music,” said Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the second-ranking GOP leader. “Once the Electoral College settles the issue today, it’s time for everybody to move on.”
Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri, the chairman of the inaugural committee, said the panel will now “deal with Vice President Biden as the president-elect.”
Just last week, the Republicans on the inauguration committee had declined to publicly do so. He said Monday’s Electoral College vote “was significant.”
Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn said barring further legal challenges it appears Mr. Biden will be president.
“That’s sort of the nature of these elections. You got to have a winner. You got to have a loser,” Mr. Cornyn said, adding that once Mr. Trump’s legal arguments are exhausted, “Joe Biden’s on a path to be president of the United States.”
The turnaround comes nearly six weeks after Election Day. Many Republicans have ridden out the time in silence, enabling Mr. Trump to wage an unprecedented challenge to the nation’s cherished system of voting.
Some GOP lawmakers have vowed to carry the fight to Jan. 6, when Congress votes to accept or reject the Electoral College results. Others have said Mr. Trump’s legal battles should continue toward resolution by inauguration day, Jan. 20.
“It’s a very, very narrow path for the president,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a top Trump ally. “But having said that, I think we’ll let those legal challenges play out.”
Historians and election officials have warned that Mr. Trump’s unfounded claims of voter fraud threaten to erode Americans’ faith in the election system, and that lawmakers have a responsibility under the oath of office to defend the Constitution.
“The campaign to overturn the outcome is a dangerous thing,” said Julian Zelizer, a professor of history and public policy at Princeton.
“This is a Republican operation, not a presidential operation,” Mr. Zelizer said. “Without their silence, he couldn’t do what he is doing.”
Mr. Trump is trying to throw out the ballots of thousands of Americans, particularly those who voted by mail, in dozens of lawsuits that have mostly failed. His legal team is claiming irregularities, even though Attorney General William Barr, who abruptly resigned Monday, has said there is no evidence of widespread fraud that would alter the election results. State election officials, including Republicans, have said the election was fair and valid.
In a decisive blow to Mr. Trump’s legal efforts, the Supreme Court last week declined to take up two of his cases challenging the election process in key states.
Former Senate GOP leader Trent Lott said Monday there is little reason for Mr. Trump to continue the fight.
“I don’t see many avenues left for the president to pursue,” Mr. Lott said in an interview. “Once the Electoral College has voted, most people are going to recognize Joe Biden as the president-elect.”
Former House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, has also said it’s clear that Mr. Biden is the winner, stating in a forum last month that, “The election is over, in everybody’s mind except Donald Trump.”
Before Monday, just a handful of current Republican elected officials in Congress had acknowledged Mr. Biden as president-elect. Even fewer have reached out to congratulate him.
Among GOP senators, Susan Collins, Mitt Romney, and Lisa Murkowski have been most outspoken in declaring Mr. Biden the winner.
Others said they were waiting for the Electoral College vote, which is normally a routine step in the elections process but has been amplified by Mr. Trump’s refusal to concede.
“Although I supported President Trump, the Electoral College vote today makes clear that Joe Biden is now President-Elect,” said Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, in a statement.
“The presidential election is over,” said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.
Still, many Republicans in Congress are backing Mr. Trump’s legal battles. Some 120 House Republicans signed on to the failed Texas lawsuit last week asking the Supreme Court to take up the case seeking to throw out election results in the swing-states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Georgia.
GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who volunteered to argue the case before the Supreme Court, was holding a telephone town hall Monday urging “participation in the fight to defend the integrity” of the election.
One House Republican, Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama, has vowed to challenge the Electoral College results on Jan. 6, when Congress convenes a joint session to receive the outcome.
At that time, any challenge in Congress would need to be raised by at least one member of the House and Senate. It’s unclear if any GOP senator will join in making the case. It appears highly unlikely there is enough congressional support to overturn the election.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Monday that it’s as if Mr. Biden has to win “again and again and again” before Republicans will accept it.
Many Republicans are unwilling to declare Mr. Biden the winner for the same reasons they avoided standing up to Mr. Trump during his presidency.
The president remains popular back home, and they are reluctant to cross him or risk public retribution from him on Twitter and beyond. As Mr. Trump prepares to leave office, his supporters are voters lawmakers need for their own reelections.
Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., introduced a resolution in Congress last week suggesting no one be declared president-elect until all investigations are completed. He proposed it after constituents confronted him last month demanding he do more to support Mr. Trump.
Get stories that
empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
Overhanging their calculations is the Georgia runoff election Jan. 5 that will decide control of the Senate. Incumbent GOP senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler need Mr. Trump’s support to defend their seats against Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Rafael Warnock.
This story was reported by The Associated Press.


csmonitor--2020-12-15--Normally a dull affair, Joe Biden wins Electoral College vote

The United States Electoral College decisively confirmed Joe Biden as the nation ’ s next president , ratifying his November victory in an authoritative state-by-state repudiation of President Donald Trump ’ s refusal to concede he had lost .
The presidential electors on Monday gave Mr. Biden a solid majority of 306 electoral votes to Mr. Trump ’ s 232 , the same margin that Mr. Trump bragged was a landslide when he won the White House four years ago .
Heightened security was in place in some states as electors met to cast paper ballots , with masks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the order of the day .
The results will be sent to Washington and tallied in a Jan. 6 joint session of Congress over which Vice President Mike Pence will preside .
For all Mr. Trump ’ s unsupported claims of fraud , there was little suspense and no change as every one of the electoral votes allocated to Mr. Biden and the president in last month ’ s popular vote went officially to each man .
On Election Day , the Democrat topped the incumbent Republican by more than 7 million in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with 3 votes , was the first state to report on Monday .
Hawaii , with 4 votes , was the last .
As results came in state by state , California ’ s 55 electoral votes put Mr. Biden over the top .
“ Once again in America , the rule of law , our Constitution , and the will of the people have prevailed .
Our democracy – pushed , tested , threatened – proved to be resilient , true , and strong , ” Mr. Biden said in an evening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his win and the record 81 million people who voted for him .
He renewed his campaign promise to be a president for all Americans , whether they voted for him or not , and said the country has hard work ahead on the virus and economy .
But there was no concession from the White House , where Mr. Trump has continued to make unsupported allegations of fraud .
Mr. Trump remained in the Oval Office long after the sun set in Washington , calling allies and fellow Republicans while keeping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to White House and campaign aides .
The president frequently ducked into the private dining room off the Oval Office to watch on TV , complaining that the cable networks were treating it like a mini-Election Night while not giving his challenges any airtime .
The president had grown increasingly disappointed with the size of “ Stop the Steal ” rallies across the nation as well as efforts by the GOP to field its own slates of electors in states .
A presidential wish for a fierce administration defense led to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , one of his most ferocious advocates , to try to downplay the importance of the Electoral College vote and suggest that Mr. Trump ’ s legal challenges would continue all the way to Inauguration Day on Jan. 20 .
Late in the day , he took to Twitter to announce that Attorney General William Barr was leaving the administration before Christmas .
Mr. Barr ’ s departure comes amid lingering tension over Mr. Trump ’ s unsupported fraud claims , especially after Mr. Barr ’ s statement this month to The Associated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by any fraud .
In a Fox News Channel interview taped over the weekend , Mr. Trump said that “ I worry about the country having an illegitimate president , that ’ s what I worry about .
A president that lost and lost badly.
” On Monday in Arizona , Georgia , Michigan , Nevada , Pennsylvania , and Wisconsin – the six battleground states that Mr. Biden won and Mr. Trump contested – electors gave Mr. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris their votes in low-key proceedings .
Nevada ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus pandemic .
Mr. Trump ’ s efforts to undermine the election results also led to concerns about safety for the electors , virtually unheard of in previous years .
In Michigan , lawmakers from both parties reported receiving threats , and legislative offices were closed over threats of violence .
Mr. Biden won the state by 154,000 votes , or 2.8 percentage points , over Mr. Trump .
Georgia state police were out in force at the state Capitol in Atlanta before Democratic electors pledged to Mr. Biden met .
There were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Electoral College ’ s confirmation of Mr. Biden ’ s victory , some Republicans continued to refuse to acknowledge that reality .
Yet their opposition to Mr. Biden had no practical effect on the electoral process , with the Democrat to be sworn in next month .
Republicans who would have been Trump electors met anyway in a handful of states Mr. Biden won .
Pennsylvania Republicans said they cast a “ procedural vote ” for Mr. Trump and Mr. Pence , in case courts that have repeatedly rejected challenges to Mr. Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ determine that Mr. Trump had won .
In North Carolina , Utah and other states across the country where Mr. Trump won , his electors turned out to duly cast their ballots for him .
Electors in North Carolina had their temperatures checked before being allowed to enter the Capitol to vote .
Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes withdrew as a Trump elector and was in quarantine because he was exposed to someone with COVID-19 .
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton , whom Mr. Trump defeated four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s 29 electors for Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris .
In New Hampshire , before the state ’ s four electors voted for Mr. Biden at the State House in Concord , 13-year-old Brayden Harrington led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance .
He had delivered a moving speech at the Democratic National Convention in August about the struggle with stuttering he shares with Mr. Biden .
Following weeks of Republican legal challenges that were easily dismissed by judges , Mr. Trump and Republican allies tried to persuade the Supreme Court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ votes for Mr. Biden in four states , which might have thrown the outcome into doubt .
The justices rejected the effort on Friday .
The Electoral College was the product of compromise during the drafting of the Constitution between those who favored electing the president by popular vote and those who opposed giving the people the power to directly choose their leader .
Each state gets a number of electors equal to its total number of seats in Congress : two senators plus however many members the state has in the House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has three votes , under a constitutional amendment that was ratified in 1961 .
With the exception of Maine and Nebraska , states award all their Electoral College votes to the winner of the popular vote in their state .
The bargain struck by the nation ’ s founders has produced five elections in which the president did not win the popular vote .
Mr. Trump was the most recent example , in 2016 .
This story was reported by The Associated Press .
AP writer Jonathan Lemire and AP writers across the @ @ @ @ @ @

The United States Electoral College decisively confirmed Joe Biden as the nation’s next president, ratifying his November victory in an authoritative state-by-state repudiation of President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede he had lost.
The presidential electors on Monday gave Mr. Biden a solid majority of 306 electoral votes to Mr. Trump’s 232, the same margin that Mr. Trump bragged was a landslide when he won the White House four years ago.
Heightened security was in place in some states as electors met to cast paper ballots, with masks, social distancing, and other pandemic precautions the order of the day. The results will be sent to Washington and tallied in a Jan. 6 joint session of Congress over which Vice President Mike Pence will preside.
For all Mr. Trump’s unsupported claims of fraud, there was little suspense and no change as every one of the electoral votes allocated to Mr. Biden and the president in last month’s popular vote went officially to each man. On Election Day, the Democrat topped the incumbent Republican by more than 7 million in the popular vote nationwide.
Vermont, with 3 votes, was the first state to report on Monday. Hawaii, with 4 votes, was the last. As results came in state by state, California’s 55 electoral votes put Mr. Biden over the top.
“Once again in America, the rule of law, our Constitution, and the will of the people have prevailed. Our democracy – pushed, tested, threatened – proved to be resilient, true, and strong,” Mr. Biden said in an evening speech in which he stressed the size of his win and the record 81 million people who voted for him.
He renewed his campaign promise to be a president for all Americans, whether they voted for him or not, and said the country has hard work ahead on the virus and economy.
But there was no concession from the White House, where Mr. Trump has continued to make unsupported allegations of fraud.
Mr. Trump remained in the Oval Office long after the sun set in Washington, calling allies and fellow Republicans while keeping track of the running Electoral College tally, according to White House and campaign aides. The president frequently ducked into the private dining room off the Oval Office to watch on TV, complaining that the cable networks were treating it like a mini-Election Night while not giving his challenges any airtime.
The president had grown increasingly disappointed with the size of “Stop the Steal” rallies across the nation as well as efforts by the GOP to field its own slates of electors in states. A presidential wish for a fierce administration defense led to TV appearances early Monday by Stephen Miller, one of his most ferocious advocates, to try to downplay the importance of the Electoral College vote and suggest that Mr. Trump’s legal challenges would continue all the way to Inauguration Day on Jan. 20.
Late in the day, he took to Twitter to announce that Attorney General William Barr was leaving the administration before Christmas. Mr. Barr’s departure comes amid lingering tension over Mr. Trump’s unsupported fraud claims, especially after Mr. Barr’s statement this month to The Associated Press that the election results were unaffected by any fraud.
In a Fox News Channel interview taped over the weekend, Mr. Trump said that “I worry about the country having an illegitimate president, that’s what I worry about. A president that lost and lost badly.”
On Monday in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin – the six battleground states that Mr. Biden won and Mr. Trump contested – electors gave Mr. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris their votes in low-key proceedings. Nevada’s electors met via Zoom because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Mr. Trump’s efforts to undermine the election results also led to concerns about safety for the electors, virtually unheard of in previous years. In Michigan, lawmakers from both parties reported receiving threats, and legislative offices were closed over threats of violence. Mr. Biden won the state by 154,000 votes, or 2.8 percentage points, over Mr. Trump.
Georgia state police were out in force at the state Capitol in Atlanta before Democratic electors pledged to Mr. Biden met. There were no protesters seen.
Even with the Electoral College’s confirmation of Mr. Biden’s victory, some Republicans continued to refuse to acknowledge that reality. Yet their opposition to Mr. Biden had no practical effect on the electoral process, with the Democrat to be sworn in next month.
Republicans who would have been Trump electors met anyway in a handful of states Mr. Biden won. Pennsylvania Republicans said they cast a “procedural vote” for Mr. Trump and Mr. Pence, in case courts that have repeatedly rejected challenges to Mr. Biden’s victory were to somehow still determine that Mr. Trump had won.
In North Carolina, Utah and other states across the country where Mr. Trump won, his electors turned out to duly cast their ballots for him. Electors in North Carolina had their temperatures checked before being allowed to enter the Capitol to vote. Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes withdrew as a Trump elector and was in quarantine because he was exposed to someone with COVID-19.
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whom Mr. Trump defeated four years ago, were among New York’s 29 electors for Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris.
In New Hampshire, before the state’s four electors voted for Mr. Biden at the State House in Concord, 13-year-old Brayden Harrington led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance. He had delivered a moving speech at the Democratic National Convention in August about the struggle with stuttering he shares with Mr. Biden.
Following weeks of Republican legal challenges that were easily dismissed by judges, Mr. Trump and Republican allies tried to persuade the Supreme Court last week to set aside 62 electoral votes for Mr. Biden in four states, which might have thrown the outcome into doubt.
The justices rejected the effort on Friday.
The Electoral College was the product of compromise during the drafting of the Constitution between those who favored electing the president by popular vote and those who opposed giving the people the power to directly choose their leader.
Each state gets a number of electors equal to its total number of seats in Congress: two senators plus however many members the state has in the House of Representatives. Washington, D.C., has three votes, under a constitutional amendment that was ratified in 1961. With the exception of Maine and Nebraska, states award all their Electoral College votes to the winner of the popular vote in their state.
Get stories that
empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
The bargain struck by the nation’s founders has produced five elections in which the president did not win the popular vote. Mr. Trump was the most recent example, in 2016.
This story was reported by The Associated Press. AP writer Jonathan Lemire and AP writers across the U.S. contributed to this report.


csmonitor--2020-12-15--Barr resigns as US Attorney General amid tensions with Trump

United States Attorney General William Barr , one of President Donald Trump ’ s staunchest allies , is departing amid lingering tension over the president ’ s baseless claims of election fraud and the investigation into President-elect Joe Biden ’ s son .
Mr. Barr went Monday to the White House , where Mr. Trump said the attorney general submitted his letter of resignation .
“ As per letter , Bill will be leaving just before Christmas to spend the holidays with his family , ” Mr. Trump tweeted .
Mr. Trump has publicly expressed his anger about Mr. Barr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier this month that the Justice Department had found no widespread fraud that would change the outcome of the election .
Mr. Trump has also been angry that the Justice Department did not publicly announce it was investigating Hunter Biden ahead of the election , despite department policy against such a pronouncement .
Mr. Barr told the AP that U.S. attorneys and FBI agents have been working to follow up specific complaints and information they ’ ve received , but “ to date , we have not seen fraud on a scale that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the election.
” Mr. Barr ’ s resignation leaves Mr. Trump without a critical ally as he winds down his final weeks in office , and it throws into question open Justice Department investigations , especially the probe into Hunter Biden ’ s taxes .
In his resignation letter , Mr. Barr said he updated Mr. Trump Monday on the department ’ s “ review of voter fraud allegations in the 2020 election and how these allegations will continue to be pursued.
” He added that his last day on the job would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen , whom he labeled “ an outstanding person , ” will become acting attorney general .
As the current second in command at the Justice Department , Mr. Rosen ’ s appointment is not likely to change much in the final weeks before the administration departs .
Mr. Trump spent much of the day watching the Electoral College tally and calling allies but broke away to meet with Mr. Barr .
His tweet about the Attorney General ’ s exit was a sober message from a president who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and quick to name-call and deride them once they say they are leaving .
Mr. Trump has also has previously claimed he fired staffers who resigned to make himself appear more powerful , and others , like former attorney general Jeff Sessions , were mocked by the president for weeks before they left office .
But despite Mr. Trump ’ s obvious disdain for those who publicly disagree with him , Mr. Barr had generally remained in the president ’ s good graces and has been one of the president ’ s most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he had repeatedly raised the notion that mail-in voting could be especially vulnerable to fraud during the coronavirus pandemic as Americans feared going to polls .
But Mr. Trump has a low tolerance for criticism , especially public criticism , from his allies and often fires back in kind .
The two had been at odds in the past few months and Mr. Barr was said to have been frustrated by Mr. Trump ’ s tweeting .
Mr. Trump said on Fox News over the weekend that he was disappointed that the Hunter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hunter Biden himself announced it last week .
“ Bill Barr should have stepped up , ” Mr. Trump said .
One senior administration official not authorized to speak publicly and speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity said Mr. Barr had resigned of his own accord and described the meeting as amicable .
Mr. Barr , who was serving in his second stint as attorney general , sought to paint himself as an independent leader who would not bow to political pressure .
But Democrats have repeatedly accused Mr. Barr of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personal attorney than the attorney general , and Mr. Barr had proved to be a largely reliable Trump ally and defender of presidential power .
Sen. Lindsey Graham , the Republican leader of the judiciary committee , told reporters at the Capitol he was surprised by the news .
“ I think he did an incredibly good job trying to repair damage done to the Department of Justice , trying to be fair and faithful to the law .
I think he ’ s got a lot to be proud of , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the president where he could , as every attorney general and administration should , but he also didn ’ t cross lines that he shouldn ’ t have crossed.
” He said he was referring to disclosing the Biden investigation .
Mr. Graham also praised Mr. Rosen as a “ good man ” who he said would “ be an ethical leader and a steady hand ” at the Justice Department .
Democrats who had long criticized Mr. Barr did not lament his departure .
“ Good riddance , ” tweeted House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who said the attorney general had “ lied to cover for Trump , launched political investigations , subverted justice and the rule of law , and violently cracked down on protestors.
” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler , D-N.Y. , who led an investigation of politicization of the department , said that “ whomever Joe Biden chooses as the new Attorney General will have a tremendous amount of work to do to repair the integrity of the Department of Justice.
” Before releasing special counsel Robert Mueller ’ s full report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr. Barr framed the results in a manner favorable to Mr. Trump even though Mr. Mueller pointedly said he couldn ’ t exonerate the president of obstruction of justice .
He also appointed as special counsel the U.S. attorney who is conducting a criminal investigation into the origins of the FBI ’ s probe of the 2016 election that morphed into Mr. Mueller ’ s investigation of possible Trump-Russia cooperation , following Mr. Trump ’ s repeated calls to “ investigate the investigators.
” Mr. Barr also ordered Justice Department prosecutors to review @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr. Trump ’ s former national security adviser Michael Flynn and then sought to dismiss the criminal charges against Mr. Flynn , who had twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI .
Mr. Trump later pardoned Mr. Flynn .
Mr. Barr ’ s break from Mr. Trump over election fraud wasn ’ t the first .
Earlier this year , Mr. Barr told ABC News that the president ’ s tweets about Justice Department cases “ make it impossible for me to do my job , ” and tensions flared just a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increasingly at odds over the pace of the Durham investigation .
Mr. Trump had been increasingly critical about a lack of arrests and Mr. Barr was privately telling people he was frustrated by Mr. Trump ’ s public pronouncements about the case .
Mr. Trump was also said to blame Mr. Barr for comments from FBI Director Chris Wray on election fraud and mail-in voting that didn ’ t jibe with the president ’ s alarmist rhetoric .
This story was reported by The Associated Press .
AP writers Colleen Long , Eric @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jalonick , and Zeke Miller contributed to this report .

United States Attorney General William Barr, one of President Donald Trump’s staunchest allies, is departing amid lingering tension over the president’s baseless claims of election fraud and the investigation into President-elect Joe Biden’s son.
Mr. Barr went Monday to the White House, where Mr. Trump said the attorney general submitted his letter of resignation. “As per letter, Bill will be leaving just before Christmas to spend the holidays with his family,” Mr. Trump tweeted.
Mr. Trump has publicly expressed his anger about Mr. Barr’s statement to The Associated Press earlier this month that the Justice Department had found no widespread fraud that would change the outcome of the election. Mr. Trump has also been angry that the Justice Department did not publicly announce it was investigating Hunter Biden ahead of the election, despite department policy against such a pronouncement.
Mr. Barr told the AP that U.S. attorneys and FBI agents have been working to follow up specific complaints and information they’ve received, but “to date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.”
Mr. Barr’s resignation leaves Mr. Trump without a critical ally as he winds down his final weeks in office, and it throws into question open Justice Department investigations, especially the probe into Hunter Biden’s taxes.
In his resignation letter, Mr. Barr said he updated Mr. Trump Monday on the department’s “review of voter fraud allegations in the 2020 election and how these allegations will continue to be pursued.” He added that his last day on the job would be Dec. 23.
Mr. Trump said Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen, whom he labeled “an outstanding person,” will become acting attorney general. As the current second in command at the Justice Department, Mr. Rosen’s appointment is not likely to change much in the final weeks before the administration departs.
Mr. Trump spent much of the day watching the Electoral College tally and calling allies but broke away to meet with Mr. Barr. His tweet about the Attorney General’s exit was a sober message from a president who is notoriously cold to his departing staff and quick to name-call and deride them once they say they are leaving.
Mr. Trump has also has previously claimed he fired staffers who resigned to make himself appear more powerful, and others, like former attorney general Jeff Sessions, were mocked by the president for weeks before they left office.
But despite Mr. Trump’s obvious disdain for those who publicly disagree with him, Mr. Barr had generally remained in the president’s good graces and has been one of the president’s most ardent allies. Before the election, he had repeatedly raised the notion that mail-in voting could be especially vulnerable to fraud during the coronavirus pandemic as Americans feared going to polls.
But Mr. Trump has a low tolerance for criticism, especially public criticism, from his allies and often fires back in kind. The two had been at odds in the past few months and Mr. Barr was said to have been frustrated by Mr. Trump’s tweeting.
Mr. Trump said on Fox News over the weekend that he was disappointed that the Hunter Biden investigation had not been disclosed. Hunter Biden himself announced it last week.
“Bill Barr should have stepped up,” Mr. Trump said.
One senior administration official not authorized to speak publicly and speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity said Mr. Barr had resigned of his own accord and described the meeting as amicable.
Mr. Barr, who was serving in his second stint as attorney general, sought to paint himself as an independent leader who would not bow to political pressure. But Democrats have repeatedly accused Mr. Barr of acting more like the president’s personal attorney than the attorney general, and Mr. Barr had proved to be a largely reliable Trump ally and defender of presidential power.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, the Republican leader of the judiciary committee, told reporters at the Capitol he was surprised by the news.
“I think he did an incredibly good job trying to repair damage done to the Department of Justice, trying to be fair and faithful to the law. I think he’s got a lot to be proud of,” Mr. Graham said. “He fought for the president where he could, as every attorney general and administration should, but he also didn’t cross lines that he shouldn’t have crossed.” He said he was referring to disclosing the Biden investigation.
Mr. Graham also praised Mr. Rosen as a “good man” who he said would “be an ethical leader and a steady hand” at the Justice Department.
Democrats who had long criticized Mr. Barr did not lament his departure. “Good riddance,” tweeted House intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who said the attorney general had “lied to cover for Trump, launched political investigations, subverted justice and the rule of law, and violently cracked down on protestors.”
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., who led an investigation of politicization of the department, said that “whomever Joe Biden chooses as the new Attorney General will have a tremendous amount of work to do to repair the integrity of the Department of Justice.”
Before releasing special counsel Robert Mueller’s full report on the Russia investigation last year, Mr. Barr framed the results in a manner favorable to Mr. Trump even though Mr. Mueller pointedly said he couldn’t exonerate the president of obstruction of justice.
He also appointed as special counsel the U.S. attorney who is conducting a criminal investigation into the origins of the FBI’s probe of the 2016 election that morphed into Mr. Mueller’s investigation of possible Trump-Russia cooperation, following Mr. Trump’s repeated calls to “investigate the investigators.”
Mr. Barr also ordered Justice Department prosecutors to review the handling of the federal investigation into Mr. Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn and then sought to dismiss the criminal charges against Mr. Flynn, who had twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. Mr. Trump later pardoned Mr. Flynn.
Mr. Barr’s break from Mr. Trump over election fraud wasn’t the first. Earlier this year, Mr. Barr told ABC News that the president’s tweets about Justice Department cases “make it impossible for me to do my job,” and tensions flared just a few months ago when the two were increasingly at odds over the pace of the Durham investigation.
Mr. Trump had been increasingly critical about a lack of arrests and Mr. Barr was privately telling people he was frustrated by Mr. Trump’s public pronouncements about the case.
Get stories that
empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
Mr. Trump was also said to blame Mr. Barr for comments from FBI Director Chris Wray on election fraud and mail-in voting that didn’t jibe with the president’s alarmist rhetoric.
This story was reported by The Associated Press. AP writers Colleen Long, Eric Tucker, Jonathan Lemire, Mary Clare Jalonick, and Zeke Miller contributed to this report.


csmonitor--2020-12-16--Unpacking Great-Aunt Gertrude’s plum pudding

In your standard Christmas story , there is a family fruitcake that makes the rounds every year and doubles as a doorstop until it is mailed to the next victim .
The tradition is easy enough to maintain , since it doesn ’ t involve any real work , other than annual retrieval and a trip to the post office .
Certainly nobody is expected to eat it .
Our family bucked the tradition .
We ate it .
But then again , ours was not a fruitcake .
It was an honest-to-goodness plum pudding , and it thudded onto @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gertrude .
This was the real thing : an authentic antique confection produced with love , or at least a sense of obligation , by an authentically antique woman .
Great-Aunt Gertrude was born in 1869 , which is remarkable enough , but her holiday treat was positively medieval .
The plum puddings arrived faithfully , as did the white cotton gloves for my sister and me at Easter .
I wasn ’ t much for white cotton gloves .
It was just one of those little-old-lady things , and my great-aunt was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s about all I could say about her .
I was said to be an imaginative child , but visualizing this tiny woman as a vibrant and interesting person was beyond my powers .
But I ’ ll give her this : Her plum pudding could out-punch anybody ’ s fruitcake .
Mom would make a hard sauce to go with it , and we happily gobbled it all up .
Once a year did the trick , though .
It was rich .
It was ridiculously rich , black-hole dense , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looked up the recipe .
Gertrude ’ s plum pudding must have been a production .
There were no plums in it .
Dried fruit and spices might have prevailed but for the cognac , eggs , and more than a pound of suet .
Without a doubt the suet would have been procured from an unwilling local bovine , perhaps one Gertrude knew personally , delivered by knacker-wagon .
Plus fresh bread crumbs derived , of course , from freshly baked bread .
The reason the bread needed to be fresh is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ operation had to be started literally one year in advance and the product stored somewhere away from open flames until it settled down .
Then it was placed in a box and cushioned with crumpled pages from the Daily Hampshire Gazette , tied with twine , addressed , strapped to a mule , and hauled to the post office .
This was truly an act of love .
“ That it was , ” my father said , in a tone that suggested there might be more to the story .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life , and she made it to 97 , ” I said .
Well .
It ’ s possible she signed the card till then .
But , my father said , it was Great-Aunt Caroline who made the pudding , warehoused it until it behaved , groomed the mule that lugged it to the post office , and maybe consoled the herd of the suet donor .
Caroline was ever and always the younger sister .
Gertrude had four years on her , and they lived together for decades , spinsters both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brewster ” printed in a florid script .
Spinsters .
The term used to carry that stain of unsuitability , even failure .
It ’ s not even a concept anymore , and barely a word .
But by now I was old enough to be curious .
“ Didn ’ t either of them ever want to marry ?
” Caroline did fall in love , my father said , but the family did not approve .
Of four sisters , one married , producing one son and no résumé .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ College , studied at Oxford , taught , was the first female trustee of the Forbes Library in Northampton , Massachusetts , and dean of the high school there .
Mary Kate wrote books and plays and had traveled around the world twice before she was 26 .
Caroline , also a Smith grad , went to New Mexico , where she studied the cliff dwellers .
She taught math in three other states and worked as a computer for Columbia University ’ s astronomy department .
Evidently , it takes a lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ old lady .
After Great-Aunt Gertrude died , Caroline plugged on , bright and agile , to the age of 104 .
I don ’ t know if we got a plum pudding after Gertrude was gone .
I was on my own by then .
Sometimes even stories can be richer when you know the ingredients .

In your standard Christmas story, there is a family fruitcake that makes the rounds every year and doubles as a doorstop until it is mailed to the next victim. The tradition is easy enough to maintain, since it doesn’t involve any real work, other than annual retrieval and a trip to the post office. Certainly nobody is expected to eat it.
Our family bucked the tradition. We ate it. But then again, ours was not a fruitcake. It was an honest-to-goodness plum pudding, and it thudded onto our porch every December courtesy of Great-Aunt Gertrude. This was the real thing: an authentic antique confection produced with love, or at least a sense of obligation, by an authentically antique woman. Great-Aunt Gertrude was born in 1869, which is remarkable enough, but her holiday treat was positively medieval.
The plum puddings arrived faithfully, as did the white cotton gloves for my sister and me at Easter. I wasn’t much for white cotton gloves. It was just one of those little-old-lady things, and my great-aunt was very little and very old. That’s about all I could say about her. I was said to be an imaginative child, but visualizing this tiny woman as a vibrant and interesting person was beyond my powers.
But I’ll give her this: Her plum pudding could out-punch anybody’s fruitcake. Mom would make a hard sauce to go with it, and we happily gobbled it all up. Once a year did the trick, though. It was rich.
It was ridiculously rich, black-hole dense, and plenty mysterious. So recently I looked up the recipe. Gertrude’s plum pudding must have been a production. There were no plums in it.
Dried fruit and spices might have prevailed but for the cognac, eggs, and more than a pound of suet. Without a doubt the suet would have been procured from an unwilling local bovine, perhaps one Gertrude knew personally, delivered by knacker-wagon. Plus fresh bread crumbs derived, of course, from freshly baked bread. The reason the bread needed to be fresh is lost to history, because the entire operation had to be started literally one year in advance and the product stored somewhere away from open flames until it settled down.
Then it was placed in a box and cushioned with crumpled pages from the Daily Hampshire Gazette, tied with twine, addressed, strapped to a mule, and hauled to the post office. This was truly an act of love.
“That it was,” my father said, in a tone that suggested there might be more to the story.
“I mean, she did this her whole life, and she made it to 97,” I said.
Well. It’s possible she signed the card till then. But, my father said, it was Great-Aunt Caroline who made the pudding, warehoused it until it behaved, groomed the mule that lugged it to the post office, and maybe consoled the herd of the suet donor. Caroline was ever and always the younger sister. Gertrude had four years on her, and they lived together for decades, spinsters both, sharing stationery with “The Misses Brewster” printed in a florid script.
Spinsters. The term used to carry that stain of unsuitability, even failure. It’s not even a concept anymore, and barely a word. But by now I was old enough to be curious.
“Didn’t either of them ever want to marry?”
Caroline did fall in love, my father said, but the family did not approve. Of four sisters, one married, producing one son and no résumé. And the others? Gertrude graduated from Smith College, studied at Oxford, taught, was the first female trustee of the Forbes Library in Northampton, Massachusetts, and dean of the high school there. Mary Kate wrote books and plays and had traveled around the world twice before she was 26. Caroline, also a Smith grad, went to New Mexico, where she studied the cliff dwellers. She taught math in three other states and worked as a computer for Columbia University’s astronomy department.
Evidently, it takes a lot of living to become a proper little old lady. After Great-Aunt Gertrude died, Caroline plugged on, bright and agile, to the age of 104. I don’t know if we got a plum pudding after Gertrude was gone. I was on my own by then.
Get stories that
empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
But I haven’t forgotten it.
Sometimes even stories can be richer when you know the ingredients.


csmonitor--2020-12-16--Will election become a new ‘lost cause’ for evangelical conservatives?

“ A lot of people are trying to understand this current cultural moment in light of religious history , given how widespread support for President Trump remains , and what this might mean , ” he continues .
While the Trump campaign has lost about 60 cases in court , “ I ’ ve seen a lot of historians and others say that we will probably watch a new ‘ lost cause ’ kind of mythmaking basically happen in real time now , just like with the Civil War what happened in the South , ” says Andrew Whitehead , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evangelical thinkers have dubbed Christian nationalism have gone so far as to call for martial law and suspension of the U.S. Constitution in an effort to keep President Trump in power .
“ When God gives you a vision , you don ’ t need to know anything else , ” said Eric Metaxas , conservative writer and emcee of Saturday ’ s Jericho March in Washington .
Expressing a militant zeal , the majority of President Donald Trump ’ s religious base continues to feel the election was stolen , even after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joe Biden ’ s 306-232 victory .
And after Attorney General William Barr said he had seen no evidence of widespread fraud .
And after the head of the Trump administration ’ s cybersecurity office called 2020 the most secure election in U.S. history .
At the center of the biblical allusion in the “ Jericho March ” on the National Mall Saturday – a rally of thousands of religious conservatives who met to protest and pray to # stopthesteal – is a revelation of God ’ s miraculous power in the conquest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the prophet Joshua , who fought the battle of Jericho with blasts of trumpets and shouts of soldiers , organizers called on “ all patriots and people of faith ” to march a symbolic seven times around the Capitol Building in Washington “ until the walls of voter fraud and corruption fall down and the American people are allowed to see the truth about this election.
” Expressing a religiously militant zeal , the majority of President Donald Trump ’ s religious base continues to feel certitude in that view , even after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joe Biden ’ s 306-232 victory .
And after Attorney General William Barr said he had seen no evidence of widespread fraud .
And after the head of the Trump administration ’ s cybersecurity office called 2020 the most secure election in U.S. history .
“ When God gives you a vision , you don ’ t need to know anything else , ” said Eric Metaxas , a prominent conservative writer and the Jericho March ’ s emcee .
Rob Weaver , one of the event ’ s co-founders , said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helping to organize its events .
“ God has shown us three very clear things , ” he said .
“ That there are courts in heaven – which our marchers are taking to in prayer before the Lord – then there are the U.S. courts , the courts on Earth , and then there ’ s the court of public opinion.
” “ We believe that God has called us and the church , in general , to focus on the courts in heaven as well as the court of public opinion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a startling irony in this omission of the courts on Earth , however .
White Evangelicals and other religious conservatives have for decades made controlling the federal judiciary a primary electoral focus – a focus that culminated in what will be one of President Trump ’ s most lasting legacies .
Which is why it came as a shock to so many Republicans that conservative judges in both state and federal courts were among the most emphatic in what became a uniform rejection of the president ’ s ongoing claims that Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. presidency .
The president and his allies lost over 60 suits to date save one , a minor case early on .
Those losses include two terse dismissals from the Supreme Court , of which three of nine justices were appointed by President Trump and which is itself dominated by Catholic conservatives .
While the judiciary has said the law and evidence come down decidedly on one side , “ I ’ ve seen a lot of historians and others say that we will probably watch a new ‘ lost cause ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time now , just like with the Civil War what happened in the South , ” says Andrew Whitehead , professor of sociology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis .
It is a framework with which he agrees .
“ A lot of people are trying to understand this current cultural moment in light of religious history , given how widespread support for President Trump remains , and what this might mean , ” he continues .
The mythology of the Lost Cause was rooted in a sense of cognitive dissonance and historical revisionism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identity .
That identity is mostly rooted in 19th-century forms of evangelical Protestantism , says Bill Leonard , founding dean and professor of divinity emeritus at Wake Forest University School of Divinity in Winston-Salem , North Carolina .
“ It portrayed the South as the prime preserver of the original myth of America as Redeemer Nation , ” a form of Christian nationalism long embedded in the larger American psyche , says Professor Leonard .
“ For these Southern Protestants , the Lost Cause meant that the people who lost the war retained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even in defeat , would be more moral , more orthodox , and more ‘ Christian ’ than their northern counterparts had been or ever could be.
” Indeed , on their website , the organizers of the Jericho March proclaim this idea using another famous trope of American exceptionalism and Christian nationalism .
“ America is a city on a hill and light to other nations , and God ’ s favor is still upon her , ” the site proclaims .
“ We are proud of the American system of governance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will not let globalists , socialists , and communists destroy our beautiful nation by sidestepping our laws and suppressing the will of the American people through their fraudulent and illegal activities in this election.
” But in the complicated histories of American evangelical Protestants there has also long been a particular understanding of how a person is able to perceive truth , says Kristin Kobes Du Mez , professor of American history at Calvin University , an evangelical institution in Grand Rapids , Michigan .
In many ways , ever since the Scopes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evangelicals have remained skeptical of secular science and any kind of expertise divorced from a religiously-based world view .
“ It ’ s a kind of direct access to God ’ s word , which is especially common within the charismatic corner of evangelicalism , ” Professor Du Mez says .
“ You know , ‘ God spoke to me , God laid it on my heart.
’ And so you have this kind of direct access to truth and no outside information is able to challenge the certainty there – and we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charismatic Christianity in there in the Trump base.
” In a much discussed conversation with the conservative radio show host Charlie Kirk last week , Mr. Metaxas summarily dismissed the findings of all levels of the American judiciary .
“ You firmly believe and I firmly believe that Trump actually won and there has been massive fraud , ” said Mr. Metaxas , author of biographies of Martin Luther and Dietrich Bonhoeffer .
“ So let ’ s just stop .
You believe that .
So my attitude is like , so , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ courts ?
And I ’ m going to do anything I can to uncover this horror , this evil.
” When Mr. Kirk later asked Mr. Metaxas his thoughts on the status of the president ’ s cases in court , he simply replied , “ I am thrilled to be too ignorant of the details to answer that question in any substantive way.
” While Professor Whitehead and his colleagues have correlated the impulses of Christian nationalism with a deep skepticism of science and the reliability of secular elites , one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and this desire to see a particular type of Christianity privileged in the public sphere again ” – one of the reasons the Trump campaign ’ s slogan , “ Make America Great Again , ” has resonated so deeply with religious conservatives .
At the same time , too , President Trump and many conservatives have focused their most intense allegations of widespread election fraud in cities such as Philadelphia , Detroit , Milwaukee , and Atlanta , each in battleground states Mr. Biden won .
( Mr. Trump actually performed better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did in 2016 . )
“ ‘ Democrat-led city ’ – that ’ s code for Black , ” the Rev .
William J. Barber II , president of the civil rights group Repairers of the Breach , told The New York Times .
“ They ’ re coupling ‘ city ’ and ‘ fraud , ’ and those two words have been used throughout the years .
This is an old playbook being used in the modern time , and people should be aware of that.
” Us vs. them mentality And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ post-Civil War South , there is a deep sense of victimhood undergirding the kind of Christian nationalism that has engulfed many Trump supporters .
As the president said at a rally in Georgia this month , “ We ’ re all victims .
Everybody here , all these thousands of people here tonight , they ’ re all victims .
Every one of you.
” “ This helped create this entrenched us-versus-them worldview , ” says Professor Du Mez .
“ Why would you want to empower people who don ’ t have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the truth of scripture , people who don ’ t have Jesus in their hearts ?
And I think this is where the real anti-democratic impulses we ’ re seeing lie as well.
” Indeed , the rhetoric of those insisting the election was stolen has become more militant and at times violent .
Gen. Michael Flynn and others last month urged President Trump to “ temporarily suspend the Constitution , ” impose martial law and have the military oversee a revote , and “ silence the destructive media.
” Trump attorney Lin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Georgia wearing face masks designed as Chinese flags , saying , “ They will soon be going to jail.
” At the Jericho March on Saturday , before the opera singer Stephanie D ’ Urso sang “ Ave Maria , ” she told the crowd , “ Are you hearing what I am hearing ?
I am hearing an army of angels coming from heaven to help our beautiful president win this battle of good versus evil.
” Prominent evangelical thinkers such as Beth Moore and David French have decried “ the dangerous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ circles and rallies such as the Jericho March .
“ They believe that Trump had a special purpose and a special calling , and that this election defeat is nothing less than a manifestation of a satanic effort to disrupt God ’ s plan for this nation , ” Mr. French wrote in The Dispatch .
“ They were not ‘ holding their nose ’ to support him .
They were deeply , spiritually , and personally invested in his political success.
” And the current commitment to Christian nationalism and a lost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tension with the wider traditions of the Christian faith , says Professor Du Mez , author of “ Jesus and John Wayne : How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation.
” “ It ’ s a cause that really works against any perception of the common good , or any idea of loving your neighbor as yourself , or any idea of common grace , that there can be goodness and human flourishing and truth outside of your church , your sect , or , you know , your base @ @ @ @ @

“A lot of people are trying to understand this current cultural moment in light of religious history, given how widespread support for President Trump remains, and what this might mean,” he continues.
While the Trump campaign has lost about 60 cases in court, “I’ve seen a lot of historians and others say that we will probably watch a new ‘lost cause’ kind of mythmaking basically happen in real time now, just like with the Civil War what happened in the South,” says Andrew Whitehead, professor of sociology.
Supporters of what evangelical thinkers have dubbed Christian nationalism have gone so far as to call for martial law and suspension of the U.S. Constitution in an effort to keep President Trump in power.
A “lost cause” narrative around the 2020 election is arising among conservatives, particularly religious conservatives, reminiscent of the South after the Civil War. What will be the long-term effects of Christian nationalism?
“When God gives you a vision, you don’t need to know anything else,” said Eric Metaxas, conservative writer and emcee of Saturday’s Jericho March in Washington.
Expressing a militant zeal, the majority of President Donald Trump’s religious base continues to feel the election was stolen, even after the Electoral College on Monday formalized President-elect Joe Biden’s 306-232 victory. And after Attorney General William Barr said he had seen no evidence of widespread fraud. And after the head of the Trump administration’s cybersecurity office called 2020 the most secure election in U.S. history.
At the center of the biblical allusion in the “Jericho March” on the National Mall Saturday – a rally of thousands of religious conservatives who met to protest and pray to #stopthesteal – is a revelation of God’s miraculous power in the conquest of a promised land.
And like the prophet Joshua, who fought the battle of Jericho with blasts of trumpets and shouts of soldiers, organizers called on “all patriots and people of faith” to march a symbolic seven times around the Capitol Building in Washington “until the walls of voter fraud and corruption fall down and the American people are allowed to see the truth about this election.”
Expressing a religiously militant zeal, the majority of President Donald Trump’s religious base continues to feel certitude in that view, even after the Electoral College on Monday formalized President-elect Joe Biden’s 306-232 victory. And after Attorney General William Barr said he had seen no evidence of widespread fraud. And after the head of the Trump administration’s cybersecurity office called 2020 the most secure election in U.S. history.
Why We Wrote This A “lost cause” narrative around the 2020 election is arising among conservatives, particularly religious conservatives, reminiscent of the South after the Civil War. What will be the long-term effects of Christian nationalism?
“When God gives you a vision, you don’t need to know anything else,” said Eric Metaxas, a prominent conservative writer and the Jericho March’s emcee.
Rob Weaver, one of the event’s co-founders, said he received a vision of the march before helping to organize its events.
“God has shown us three very clear things,” he said. “That there are courts in heaven – which our marchers are taking to in prayer before the Lord – then there are the U.S. courts, the courts on Earth, and then there’s the court of public opinion.”
“We believe that God has called us and the church, in general, to focus on the courts in heaven as well as the court of public opinion,” continued Mr. Weaver.
There is a startling irony in this omission of the courts on Earth, however. White Evangelicals and other religious conservatives have for decades made controlling the federal judiciary a primary electoral focus – a focus that culminated in what will be one of President Trump’s most lasting legacies.
Which is why it came as a shock to so many Republicans that conservative judges in both state and federal courts were among the most emphatic in what became a uniform rejection of the president’s ongoing claims that Democratic elites and technocrats conspired to steal the U.S. presidency.
The president and his allies lost over 60 suits to date save one, a minor case early on. Those losses include two terse dismissals from the Supreme Court, of which three of nine justices were appointed by President Trump and which is itself dominated by Catholic conservatives.
A new ‘lost cause’?
While the judiciary has said the law and evidence come down decidedly on one side, “I’ve seen a lot of historians and others say that we will probably watch a new ‘lost cause’ kind of mythmaking basically happen in real time now, just like with the Civil War what happened in the South,” says Andrew Whitehead, professor of sociology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. It is a framework with which he agrees.
“A lot of people are trying to understand this current cultural moment in light of religious history, given how widespread support for President Trump remains, and what this might mean,” he continues.
The mythology of the Lost Cause was rooted in a sense of cognitive dissonance and historical revisionism that would recalibrate a Southern sense of identity. That identity is mostly rooted in 19th-century forms of evangelical Protestantism, says Bill Leonard, founding dean and professor of divinity emeritus at Wake Forest University School of Divinity in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
“It portrayed the South as the prime preserver of the original myth of America as Redeemer Nation,” a form of Christian nationalism long embedded in the larger American psyche, says Professor Leonard. “For these Southern Protestants, the Lost Cause meant that the people who lost the war retained that vision. The defeated people, even in defeat, would be more moral, more orthodox, and more ‘Christian’ than their northern counterparts had been or ever could be.”
Indeed, on their website, the organizers of the Jericho March proclaim this idea using another famous trope of American exceptionalism and Christian nationalism.
“America is a city on a hill and light to other nations, and God’s favor is still upon her,” the site proclaims. “We are proud of the American system of governance established by our Founding Fathers and we will not let globalists, socialists, and communists destroy our beautiful nation by sidestepping our laws and suppressing the will of the American people through their fraudulent and illegal activities in this election.”
But in the complicated histories of American evangelical Protestants there has also long been a particular understanding of how a person is able to perceive truth, says Kristin Kobes Du Mez, professor of American history at Calvin University, an evangelical institution in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
In many ways, ever since the Scopes trial nearly 100 years ago, American evangelicals have remained skeptical of secular science and any kind of expertise divorced from a religiously-based world view.
“It’s a kind of direct access to God’s word, which is especially common within the charismatic corner of evangelicalism,” Professor Du Mez says. “You know, ‘God spoke to me, God laid it on my heart.’ And so you have this kind of direct access to truth and no outside information is able to challenge the certainty there – and we’re now seeing the influence of charismatic Christianity in there in the Trump base.”
In a much discussed conversation with the conservative radio show host Charlie Kirk last week, Mr. Metaxas summarily dismissed the findings of all levels of the American judiciary.
“You firmly believe and I firmly believe that Trump actually won and there has been massive fraud,” said Mr. Metaxas, author of biographies of Martin Luther and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. “So let’s just stop. You believe that. So my attitude is like, so, who cares what I can prove in courts? And I’m going to do anything I can to uncover this horror, this evil.”
When Mr. Kirk later asked Mr. Metaxas his thoughts on the status of the president’s cases in court, he simply replied, “I am thrilled to be too ignorant of the details to answer that question in any substantive way.”
While Professor Whitehead and his colleagues have correlated the impulses of Christian nationalism with a deep skepticism of science and the reliability of secular elites, one of its primary characteristics is “this belief and this desire to see a particular type of Christianity privileged in the public sphere again” – one of the reasons the Trump campaign’s slogan, “Make America Great Again,” has resonated so deeply with religious conservatives.
At the same time, too, President Trump and many conservatives have focused their most intense allegations of widespread election fraud in cities such as Philadelphia, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Atlanta, each in battleground states Mr. Biden won. (Mr. Trump actually performed better in several of those cities than he did in 2016.)
“‘Democrat-led city’ – that’s code for Black,” the Rev. William J. Barber II, president of the civil rights group Repairers of the Breach, told The New York Times. “They’re coupling ‘city’ and ‘fraud,’ and those two words have been used throughout the years. This is an old playbook being used in the modern time, and people should be aware of that.”
Us vs. them mentality
And like the Lost Cause mythologies of the post-Civil War South, there is a deep sense of victimhood undergirding the kind of Christian nationalism that has engulfed many Trump supporters. As the president said at a rally in Georgia this month, “We’re all victims. Everybody here, all these thousands of people here tonight, they’re all victims. Every one of you.”
“This helped create this entrenched us-versus-them worldview,” says Professor Du Mez. “Why would you want to empower people who don’t have access to truth, people who deny the truth of scripture, people who don’t have Jesus in their hearts? And I think this is where the real anti-democratic impulses we’re seeing lie as well.”
Indeed, the rhetoric of those insisting the election was stolen has become more militant and at times violent.
Gen. Michael Flynn and others last month urged President Trump to “temporarily suspend the Constitution,” impose martial law and have the military oversee a revote, and “silence the destructive media.” Trump attorney Lin Wood posted pictures of Republican officials in Georgia wearing face masks designed as Chinese flags, saying, “They will soon be going to jail.”
Rise of Christian nationalism
At the Jericho March on Saturday, before the opera singer Stephanie D’Urso sang “Ave Maria,” she told the crowd, “Are you hearing what I am hearing? I am hearing an army of angels coming from heaven to help our beautiful president win this battle of good versus evil.”
Prominent evangelical thinkers such as Beth Moore and David French have decried “the dangerous idolatry of Donald Trump” in evangelical circles and rallies such as the Jericho March. “They believe that Trump had a special purpose and a special calling, and that this election defeat is nothing less than a manifestation of a satanic effort to disrupt God’s plan for this nation,” Mr. French wrote in The Dispatch. “They were not ‘holding their nose’ to support him. They were deeply, spiritually, and personally invested in his political success.”
Get stories that
empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
And the current commitment to Christian nationalism and a lost cause of a stolen election stands in tension with the wider traditions of the Christian faith, says Professor Du Mez, author of “Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation.”
“It’s a cause that really works against any perception of the common good, or any idea of loving your neighbor as yourself, or any idea of common grace, that there can be goodness and human flourishing and truth outside of your church, your sect, or, you know, your base,” she says.


csmonitor--2020-12-16--Why Biden isn't just 'getting the old gang back together'

Dear reader : The Electoral College has spoken .
Many ( but not all ) top Republicans now refer to Joseph R. Biden Jr. as president-elect .
And Russian President Vladimir Putin , Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro , and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador have all conveyed their congratulations , albeit belatedly .
President Donald Trump may never concede the Nov. 3 election , and there ’ s speculation he will hold his own event on Inauguration Day .
Regardless , the impact of President Trump ’ s post-election actions may well be felt for some time to come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of widespread voter fraud .
On Monday evening , in an address to the nation , Mr. Biden expressed righteous anger as he spoke of the myriad lawsuits aimed at overturning his victory – and then turned more hopeful in tone , as he called for unity and healing .
His emotions were palpable to this reporter , who sat just a few feet away from the president-elect inside the historic Queen theater in his hometown of Wilmington , Delaware .
It was a fortuitous moment to be the “ pool reporter ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transition .
Soon enough , Mr. Biden will be addressing the nation from the Capitol and eventually the Oval Office .
But already , his presidency is taking shape .
He has named much of his Cabinet and other top officials , including many from the Obama years , in which Mr. Biden served as vice president .
But this is more than just “ getting the old gang back together.
” It ’ s a reflection of the president-elect ’ s values as a leader – surrounding himself with people he knows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government experience to their roles at a time of national emergency .
Mr. Biden is also elevating new faces into positions of authority from all walks of life .
His Cabinet is poised to be the most diverse in American history , as seen in today ’ s introduction of Pete Buttigieg , the former mayor of South Bend , Indiana – and former rival for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination – as the nominee to run the Department of Transportation .
If confirmed , Mr. Buttigieg will be the nation ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s the skills Mr. Biden ’ s team will bring to the table that matter most , veteran political observers say .
“ Their experience is valuable , ” David Axelrod , a former Obama adviser , tells the Associated Press .
“ Their values and outlooks are consonant with [ Biden ’ s ] .
The challenge is to look forward and not back and innovate beyond what ’ s simply been broken.
” Let us know what you ’ re thinking at csmpolitics @ csmonitor.com .

Dear reader:
The Electoral College has spoken. Many (but not all) top Republicans now refer to Joseph R. Biden Jr. as president-elect. And Russian President Vladimir Putin, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador have all conveyed their congratulations, albeit belatedly.
President Donald Trump may never concede the Nov. 3 election, and there’s speculation he will hold his own event on Inauguration Day. Regardless, the impact of President Trump’s post-election actions may well be felt for some time to come: Most Republicans still believe unproven allegations of widespread voter fraud.
On Monday evening, in an address to the nation, Mr. Biden expressed righteous anger as he spoke of the myriad lawsuits aimed at overturning his victory – and then turned more hopeful in tone, as he called for unity and healing. His emotions were palpable to this reporter, who sat just a few feet away from the president-elect inside the historic Queen theater in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware. It was a fortuitous moment to be the “pool reporter” for that day, covering the presidential transition.
Soon enough, Mr. Biden will be addressing the nation from the Capitol and eventually the Oval Office. But already, his presidency is taking shape. He has named much of his Cabinet and other top officials, including many from the Obama years, in which Mr. Biden served as vice president.
But this is more than just “getting the old gang back together.” It’s a reflection of the president-elect’s values as a leader – surrounding himself with people he knows and trusts, and who bring deep government experience to their roles at a time of national emergency.
Mr. Biden is also elevating new faces into positions of authority from all walks of life. His Cabinet is poised to be the most diverse in American history, as seen in today’s introduction of Pete Buttigieg , the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana – and former rival for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination – as the nominee to run the Department of Transportation. If confirmed, Mr. Buttigieg will be the nation’s first openly gay Cabinet secretary.
But it’s the skills Mr. Biden’s team will bring to the table that matter most, veteran political observers say.
“Their experience is valuable,” David Axelrod, a former Obama adviser, tells the Associated Press. “Their values and outlooks are consonant with [Biden’s]. The challenge is to look forward and not back and innovate beyond what’s simply been broken.”
Let us know what you’re thinking at csmpolitics@csmonitor.com.
Get stories that
empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.


csmonitor--2020-12-16--As Biden waits in wings, Pakistan takes a preemptive swipe at India

“ I don ’ t think we ’ ll see the Biden administration taking a very different approach to Pakistan than the Trump administration did , ” says James Dobbins , a former envoy in the Obama administration .
It may be a tough sell in Washington , say analysts , given India ’ s strategic importance and lingering mistrust over Pakistan ’ s influence in Afghanistan , where the U.S. is trying to shore up a fragile peace plan .
In an interview , Pakistan ’ s ambassador to Washington argued that the U.S. should reconsider its burgeoning alliance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ challenges at home .
His diplomacy is aimed at both the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden and the U.N. Security Council , on which India will take up a rotating seat in January .
Now it ’ s seeking to turn the tables on India by presenting a dossier to global powers and the United Nations that alleges an Indian hand in recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan , including the targeting of Chinese-backed development projects .
India has rejected these allegations .
As India ’ s star has risen steadily in economics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found itself playing defense , including on allegations that it supports terrorist groups that target India .
Nuclear arch-rivals India and Pakistan have for decades sought to score knockouts against each other on the international stage , trading accusations of terrorism and destabilization .
So , when Pakistan ’ s foreign minister and the military ’ s public relations chief recently presented world powers with a thick dossier of alleged Indian-sponsored terrorist activities on Pakistani soil , the initiative was not seen as totally new , though its level of detail – names @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , money transfers – was unusual .
What did raise questions was the timing – why now ?
In the eyes of some regional experts , it was simply a case of the pot calling the kettle black .
India has for years accused Pakistan , and offered proof , of harboring terrorist groups and coordinating their attacks inside India .
Crucially , the dossier , which was also shared with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres , comes as India prepares to take a rotating two-year seat on the U.N. Security Council @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also squarely aimed at the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden , a not-so subtle message that India may not be a reliable security partner and democratic exemplar .
Pakistan ’ s campaign comes as India has bulked up its international profile , emerging over the past decade as an ever-closer security partner of the U.S. and becoming something of an Asian democratic counterweight to Communist-ruled China .
At the same time , Pakistan has seen its importance to the U.S. and other powers diminish as the U.S. winds down its presence in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surprise Pakistan would be coming out with such a dossier , especially as India is about to take a seat again on the Security Council , ” says Karl Inderfurth , an assistant secretary of state for South Asian affairs during the Clinton administration .
“ Pakistan has watched from the sidelines as India has only grown in regional importance , so I see them acting to remind the powers on the council that one of their partners has a history of stirring up trouble in the region.
” India has successfully painted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , says Pakistan ’ s ambassador to Washington , Asad Khan .
But it is time the world understood not just India ’ s destabilizing activities in the region but also its attacks on democratic governance and human rights at home under the current Hindu nationalist government , he adds .
“ A certain narrative has been built around Indian victimhood – how India has suffered at the hand of terrorists – and much of that blame has been thrown at us , ” Ambassador Khan says .
In an interview with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noted that his country has successfully brought down the number of terrorist attacks inside Pakistan over the last decade and wrested control of large parts of the country from non-state actors .
But over the last two years Pakistan has faced a resurgence of attacks and “ unfortunately we see the Indian footprint and Indian fingerprints all over the place , ” he says .
India has dismissed Pakistan ’ s claims as lies and repurposed accusations from the past aimed at diverting attention from Pakistan ’ s own failings .
Pakistan and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” India ’ s permanent representative to the U.N. , T.S .
Tirumurti , said in a tweet .
The Indian mission to the U.N. in New York said in a statement that Pakistan “ can not change the fact that they are the epicentre of terrorism.
” As the two rivals toss accusations back and forth , the reality is that India has broadly seen its star rise in global affairs as Pakistan ’ s has languished .
U.S.-India relations have been on an upward trajectory for two decades , with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pacific Command to the Indo-Pacific Command in 2018 just one tip of the cap to India ’ s growing strategic importance .
Another key player is China , which has a growing economic footprint in Pakistan but tense relations with New Delhi that include a longstanding border dispute that flared again this summer .
Indeed Pakistani officials accuse India in their dossier of trying to destabilize Pakistan ’ s economic cooperation with China by fomenting terrorist attacks against Chinese-financed development projects , including a deadly assault at a luxury hotel in Gwadar , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But where Islamabad appears to be hoping its accusations against India gain some traction is in Washington .
“ We see the U.S. as perhaps the only country in the world that is in a position to play an important and critical role on this issue , ” says Ambassador Khan .
“ We are hopeful the engagement of the U.S. could work to support peace and security for our region.
” In particular , Pakistan would like to see the U.S. pressure India over its revocation last year of the disputed Kashmir @ @ @ @ @ @ @ repressive measures Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to enforce there .
But most regional experts are skeptical that the Biden administration will rush to take Pakistan ’ s side and prioritize human rights over security ties with Mr. Modi ’ s government .
“ We may see the U.S. taking a little tougher stance toward India over its human rights record , but basically we ’ ll continue to court India as a counterweight to China , ” says James Dobbins , who served as a special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overall I don ’ t think we ’ ll see the Biden administration taking a very different approach to Pakistan than the Trump administration did.
” Allegations of Indian support for separatists in the Balochistan region might indeed have merit , says Mr. Dobbins , a senior fellow at the Rand Corp. , since India has been suspected of such activity in the past .
But Washington is more concerned about Pakistan ’ s influence in Afghanistan and with the Afghan Taliban , as it tries to wind down its longest war and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Trump administration .
Mr. Dobbins says he ’ s pessimistic that Pakistan will use its influence over the Taliban to support this plan .
The reason goes back to India .
Pakistan ’ s overriding concern is that an increasingly powerful India would become an influential power in postwar Afghanistan .
That in turn could lead to a dreaded “ encirclement ” of Pakistan by its chief adversary , says Mr. Inderfurth , a professor of international relations at George Washington University .
“ I imagine Pakistan is as anxious as everyone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will re-engage with the international community , and in particular with South Asia , and I ’ m not surprised if [ the Pakistanis ] are trying to influence those relations out of the blocks , ” he says , referring to Pakistan ’ s dossier of accusations .
But like Mr. Dobbins , Mr. Inderfurth says the U.S. interest in resolving the war in Afghanistan is likely to mean just as troubled relations with Pakistan as in the past .
“ Biden and the new national security team he ’ s bringing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Pakistan , particularly over the eight years of the Obama administration , ” he says .
“ And suffice it to say , those years did not go very well .
”

“I don’t think we’ll see the Biden administration taking a very different approach to Pakistan than the Trump administration did,” says James Dobbins, a former envoy in the Obama administration.
It may be a tough sell in Washington, say analysts, given India’s strategic importance and lingering mistrust over Pakistan’s influence in Afghanistan, where the U.S. is trying to shore up a fragile peace plan.
In an interview, Pakistan’s ambassador to Washington argued that the U.S. should reconsider its burgeoning alliance with India, noting its human rights challenges at home. His diplomacy is aimed at both the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden and the U.N. Security Council, on which India will take up a rotating seat in January.
How President-elect Biden handles Pakistan-India enmity in the next few years could shape the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, its longest war.
Now it’s seeking to turn the tables on India by presenting a dossier to global powers and the United Nations that alleges an Indian hand in recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan, including the targeting of Chinese-backed development projects. India has rejected these allegations.
As India’s star has risen steadily in economics and geopolitics, its archrival Pakistan has found itself playing defense, including on allegations that it supports terrorist groups that target India.
Nuclear arch-rivals India and Pakistan have for decades sought to score knockouts against each other on the international stage, trading accusations of terrorism and destabilization.
So, when Pakistan’s foreign minister and the military’s public relations chief recently presented world powers with a thick dossier of alleged Indian-sponsored terrorist activities on Pakistani soil, the initiative was not seen as totally new, though its level of detail – names of accused Indian agents, audio wiretaps, money transfers – was unusual.
What did raise questions was the timing – why now?
Why We Wrote This How President-elect Biden handles Pakistan-India enmity in the next few years could shape the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, its longest war.
In the eyes of some regional experts, it was simply a case of the pot calling the kettle black. India has for years accused Pakistan, and offered proof, of harboring terrorist groups and coordinating their attacks inside India.
Crucially, the dossier, which was also shared with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, comes as India prepares to take a rotating two-year seat on the U.N. Security Council in January. And it’s also squarely aimed at the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden, a not-so subtle message that India may not be a reliable security partner and democratic exemplar.
Pakistan’s campaign comes as India has bulked up its international profile, emerging over the past decade as an ever-closer security partner of the U.S. and becoming something of an Asian democratic counterweight to Communist-ruled China. At the same time, Pakistan has seen its importance to the U.S. and other powers diminish as the U.S. winds down its presence in Afghanistan.
“It’s no surprise Pakistan would be coming out with such a dossier, especially as India is about to take a seat again on the Security Council,” says Karl Inderfurth, an assistant secretary of state for South Asian affairs during the Clinton administration. “Pakistan has watched from the sidelines as India has only grown in regional importance, so I see them acting to remind the powers on the council that one of their partners has a history of stirring up trouble in the region.”
India has successfully painted itself as the innocent target of terrorism, says Pakistan’s ambassador to Washington, Asad Khan. But it is time the world understood not just India’s destabilizing activities in the region but also its attacks on democratic governance and human rights at home under the current Hindu nationalist government, he adds.
“A certain narrative has been built around Indian victimhood – how India has suffered at the hand of terrorists – and much of that blame has been thrown at us,” Ambassador Khan says.
“Indian fingerprints”
In an interview with the Monitor over Pakistani tea, Ambassador Khan noted that his country has successfully brought down the number of terrorist attacks inside Pakistan over the last decade and wrested control of large parts of the country from non-state actors.
But over the last two years Pakistan has faced a resurgence of attacks and “unfortunately we see the Indian footprint and Indian fingerprints all over the place,” he says.
India has dismissed Pakistan’s claims as lies and repurposed accusations from the past aimed at diverting attention from Pakistan’s own failings.
Pakistan and its dossier “enjoy no credibility,” India’s permanent representative to the U.N., T.S. Tirumurti, said in a tweet. The Indian mission to the U.N. in New York said in a statement that Pakistan “cannot change the fact that they are the epicentre of terrorism.”
As the two rivals toss accusations back and forth, the reality is that India has broadly seen its star rise in global affairs as Pakistan’s has languished. U.S.-India relations have been on an upward trajectory for two decades, with the Trump administration’s renaming of the Pacific Command to the Indo-Pacific Command in 2018 just one tip of the cap to India’s growing strategic importance.
Another key player is China, which has a growing economic footprint in Pakistan but tense relations with New Delhi that include a longstanding border dispute that flared again this summer.
Indeed Pakistani officials accuse India in their dossier of trying to destabilize Pakistan’s economic cooperation with China by fomenting terrorist attacks against Chinese-financed development projects, including a deadly assault at a luxury hotel in Gwadar, a port city in southwestern Pakistan.
Seeking traction in Washington
But where Islamabad appears to be hoping its accusations against India gain some traction is in Washington.
“We see the U.S. as perhaps the only country in the world that is in a position to play an important and critical role on this issue,” says Ambassador Khan. “We are hopeful the engagement of the U.S. could work to support peace and security for our region.”
In particular, Pakistan would like to see the U.S. pressure India over its revocation last year of the disputed Kashmir region’s autonomous status and the repressive measures Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to enforce there.
But most regional experts are skeptical that the Biden administration will rush to take Pakistan’s side and prioritize human rights over security ties with Mr. Modi’s government.
“We may see the U.S. taking a little tougher stance toward India over its human rights record, but basically we’ll continue to court India as a counterweight to China,” says James Dobbins, who served as a special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan in the Obama White House. “And overall I don’t think we’ll see the Biden administration taking a very different approach to Pakistan than the Trump administration did.”
Allegations of Indian support for separatists in the Balochistan region might indeed have merit, says Mr. Dobbins, a senior fellow at the Rand Corp., since India has been suspected of such activity in the past. But Washington is more concerned about Pakistan’s influence in Afghanistan and with the Afghan Taliban, as it tries to wind down its longest war and implement a fragile peace plan struck by the Trump administration. Mr. Dobbins says he’s pessimistic that Pakistan will use its influence over the Taliban to support this plan.
Fear of encirclement
The reason goes back to India.
Pakistan’s overriding concern is that an increasingly powerful India would become an influential power in postwar Afghanistan. That in turn could lead to a dreaded “encirclement” of Pakistan by its chief adversary, says Mr. Inderfurth, a professor of international relations at George Washington University.
“I imagine Pakistan is as anxious as everyone else to see how a Biden administration will re-engage with the international community, and in particular with South Asia, and I’m not surprised if [the Pakistanis] are trying to influence those relations out of the blocks,” he says, referring to Pakistan’s dossier of accusations.
Get stories that
empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
But like Mr. Dobbins, Mr. Inderfurth says the U.S. interest in resolving the war in Afghanistan is likely to mean just as troubled relations with Pakistan as in the past.
“Biden and the new national security team he’s bringing in have a long history of dealings with Pakistan, particularly over the eight years of the Obama administration,” he says. “And suffice it to say, those years did not go very well.”