Idaho's congressional delegation: There will be peaceful transition

All four members of Idaho’s congressional delegation said there will be a peaceful transition of power in 2021 should the presidency change hands.

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump again declined to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the Nov. 3 presidential election, the Associated Press reported.

“We’re going to have to see what happens,” Trump said at a news conference. “You know that I’ve been complaining very strongly about the ballots, and the ballots are a disaster.”

The White House on Thursday sought to clarify Trump’s words.

“The president will accept the results of a free and fair election,” said Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany.

In statements to the Idaho Press Thursday, Idaho’s U.S. senators and representatives, all Republican, were confident the next presidential term would start peacefully regardless of who is elected.

Sen. Jim Risch said a peaceful transition of power would take place, as it has for over two centuries.

“On November 3rd, the American people will elect a president who will be inaugurated on January 20th. Whatever the outcome, the transition will be orderly and peaceful as it has been for 244 years. This is a cornerstone of our democracy,” Risch said in a statement.

Sen. Mike Crapo also was confident in a peaceful transfer.

“In our nation’s history, there have been several presidential elections about which the results were contested,” his statement reads. “We have been able to resolve those disputes, and the Presidential and Vice-Presidential swearing-in ceremonies have proceeded as dictated by Article II of the U.S. Constitution. I am confident that will happen after this year’s election as well.”

Rep. Mike Simpson, of Idaho’s 2nd congressional district, said he was not concerned about the country’s ability to have a smooth transition of power in January.

“I have no doubt, that whatever the outcome is on Nov. 3, we will peacefully swear-in the President and Vice-President on Jan. 20,” Simpson said in a statement.

A LOOK BACK

According to the Library of Congress, the first true peaceful transfer of power between political parties in the United States came only after threats of violence and the collapse of the nation.

In the 1800 presidential election, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr were deadlocked in the electoral college with 73 votes apiece.

“Amidst threats of violence and fears of national dissolution, Congress met in February 1801 to resolve the fiercely contested election of 1800. Federalists and Republicans argued over how best to implement the new federal Constitution, but both parties accepted the Constitution as the framework in which to settle the dispute,” says the Library of Congress’s online resource “Creating the United States.”

That standoff ended with Congress choosing Thomas Jefferson to be the country’s third president. John Adams, the second president, departed office without incident, concluding the first peaceful transfer of power between parties.

First District Rep. Russ Fulcher expressed similar confidence in the transfer of power and validated the president’s concerns about voter fraud.

“I understand President Trump’s concern with election fraud, mail-in voting is ripe with ways to exploit this election, and our focus right now should be on how to prevent election fraud from happening in November,” he wrote in a statement to the Idaho Press. “I truly believe that a legitimate, trustworthy election process is the only way for both sides of the aisle to find peace with the results.”

Congressional leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, rejected Trump’s suggestion that he’d “see what happens” before agreeing to any election outcome.

Some Democrats took action, including formally asking Trump’s defense secretary, national security adviser and attorney general to declare they’ll support the Nov. 3 results.

Meanwhile, McConnell said in a tweet: “The winner of the November 3rd election will be inaugurated on January 20th.” He said, “There will be an orderly transition just as there has been every four years since 1792.”

Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, was incredulous. “What country are we in?” he said late Wednesday of Trump’s comment. “Look, he says the most irrational things. I don’t know what to say about it. But it doesn’t surprise me.”

Find original article at IdahoStateJournal.com

Idaho’s congressional delegation: There will be peaceful transition