Mitch McConnell congratulates 'President-elect' Joe Biden, says 'the Electoral College has spoken'

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday congratulated President-elect Joe Biden on winning the presidential election, saying that "the Electoral College has spoken."

According to reports, McConnell has also privately urged Senate Republicans not to contest the results of the election in Congress, despite President Donald Trump's ongoing challenges to the outcome.

What are the details?

During a speech from the Senate floor, McConnell spent several minutes heaping praise on Trump and listing the president's many accomplishments during his term before saying, "Many millions of us had hoped that the presidential election would yield a different result, but our system of government has processes to determine who will be sworn in on Jan. 20."

He added, "The Electoral College has spoken. So today, I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden."

Sen. Mitch McConnell: "I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden."www.youtube.com

The New York Times reported:

A short time later, on a private call with Senate Republicans, Mr. McConnell and his top deputies pleaded with their colleagues not to join members of the House in objecting to the election results on Jan. 6, when Congress meets to ratify the Electoral College's decision, according to three people familiar with the remarks.

Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks (R) has vowed to challenge the Electoral College votes in the House. The GOP congressman made his decision nearly two weeks ago, explaining, "In my judgment, if only lawful votes by eligible American citizens were cast, Donald Trump won the Electoral College by a significant margin, and Congress's certification should reflect that."

According to Politico, "If a Republican senator joins the effort, however, it will force both chambers to take a vote on the election. But they have yet to get official buy-in from any GOP senators."

Meanwhile, President Trump continues to insist the election was rigged against him and that Biden won due to widespread voter fraud. He tweeted Tuesday, "Tremendous evidence pouring in on voter fraud. There has never been anything like this in our Country!"

The president also retweeted a post from pro-Trump attorney Lin Wood, who stated that Georgia's Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger "will soon be going to jail" over their handling of the election in their state.

Wood tweeted photos doctored to show Kemp and Raffensperger wearing masks with the Chinese flag, writing "President Trump @realDonaldTrump is a genuinely good man. He does not really like to fire people. I bet he dislikes putting people in jail, especially 'Republicans.' He gave @BrianKempGA & @GaSecofState every chance to get it right. They refused. They will soon be going to jail."