Trump-Biden transition updates: Trump continues to tout he won election at Ga. rally

The president was in Georgia to campaign for the senatorial runoff races.

Last Updated: December 7, 2020, 11:41 AM EST

President Donald Trump is slated to hand over control of the White House to President-elect Joe Biden in 45 days.

Dec 03, 2020, 10:45 AM EST

Overview: Biden meets with transition advisers as Trump continues to make baseless claims

Pressing forward with their transition with less than 50 days until the inauguration, Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala will receive the President’s Daily Brief, meet with transition advisers and participate in a joint CNN interview on Thursday.

Harris announced a slate of incoming senior staff Thursday morning. She's tapped Tina Flournoy, former President Bill Clinton’s current chief of staff, as her chief of staff, adding to her so far all-female team of which four out of five are women of color.

Biden is expected to announce more Cabinet picks in the coming days.

President-elect Joe Biden speaks as Vice President-elect Kamala Harris listens at left, during an event to introduce their nominees and appointees to economic policy posts at The Queen theater, Dec. 1, 2020, in Wilmington, Del.
Andrew Harnik/AP

Trump, meanwhile, is continuing to contest the results of the election and showing no signs of backing down after posting a 46-minute video on Facebook Wednesday filled with falsehoods and conspiracy theories, despite his legal team and its allies having not been victorious in more than 30 court cases.

In the video, the president made no mention of Attorney General William Barr’s comments in which he told the Associated Press Tuesday the Justice Department hasn’t found evidence of voter fraud that would change the outcome of the election.

President Donald Trump and Attorney General Bill Barr arrive back in Washington after a trip to Kenosha, Wis. Sept. 1, 2020.
Leah Millis/Reuters

ABC News has learned Barr met with Trump at the White House following that Tuesday interview, with one source briefed on the meeting describing Barr's interaction with the president as "intense," but not elaborating with any additional details about the content of their discussion.

Trump on Thursday is slated to present the Medal of Freedom to Lou Holtz ahead of an afternoon signing ceremony of an executive order promoting the use of artificial intelligence in government. The White House on Wednesday wouldn’t divulge whether Trump still has confidence in Barr to lead the Justice Department.

Dec 03, 2020, 10:15 AM EST

Harris announces new picks, including chief of staff

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris rolled out key members of her incoming staff Thursday morning, adding to her so far all-female team of which four out of five are women of color. 

Hartina "Tina" Flournoy, who is currently serving as chief of staff to former President Bill Clinton, has been tapped as Harris’ chief of staff. She previously served as chief counsel in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel under Bill Clinton and as an assistant to the president for public policy at the American Federation of Teachers.

"Tina brings a strong commitment to serving the American people, and her leadership will be critical as we work to overcome the unprecedented challenges facing our nation," Harris said in a statement announcing the picks.

Hartina (Tina) Flournoy speaks at a Democratic Rules & Bylaws Committee meeting, May 31, 2008.
C-SPAN

Rohini Kosoglu, who previously served as a senior adviser to Harris on the campaign and on the transition, has been selected as Harris' domestic policy adviser. She was Harris’ chief of staff in the Senate and was the first South Asian woman to serve in that role.

Nancy McEldowney, a former ambassador to Bulgaria with more than 30 years of experience in the U.S. Foreign Service, will serve as Harris’ national security adviser.

The announcement follows Ashley Etienne being named as Harris’ communications director and Symone Sanders as her chief spokeswoman.

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris speaks as she and President-elect Joe Biden announce nominees and appointees at the transition headquarters in Wilmington, Del., Dec. 1, 2020.
Leah Millis/Reuters

-ABC News' Averi Harper

Dec 02, 2020, 11:06 PM EST

Raimondo may be chosen to lead Biden's HHS department

With President-elect Joe Biden preparing to unveil his picks to lead agencies on the front lines of the fight against the coronavirus, Gov. Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island has emerged as a potential selection to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, sources tell ABC News.

The Harvard, Oxford and Yale-educated governor has long been rumored as someone who could enter a Biden administration after she was vetted for vice president. Raimondo, who was elected in 2014, was seen ahead of the election as a possible nominee for Treasury or Commerce secretary, given a Wall Street background that has made her a target for progressives hoping to influence Biden’s incoming administration.

Rhode Island Governor Gina M. Raimondo speaks at a daily news conference on the coronavirus pandemic in Providence, R.I., May 27, 2020.
Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images, FILE

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who was also vetted for vice president, is seen as another leading contender for HHS secretary, given her work leading a state during the pandemic, and serving as New Mexico's health secretary earlier in her career. She has also been boosted by Latino Democrats and advocates who want Biden's cabinet to reflect the diversity of the coalition that helped him win the White House.

Biden's pick for HHS secretary, and other coronavirus and health-related roles, could be unveiled as early as next week, sources told ABC News.

A transition spokesman did not immediately respond to questions about Biden's consideration of the governors or the timing of any announcements. Raimondo and Lujan Grisham's offices did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

-ABC News' Luke Barr, Ben Siegel, John Santucci, Katherine Faulders, Molly Nagle

Dec 02, 2020, 7:32 PM EST

Loeffler, Perdue have been put "in a box": Gabriel Sterling

Gabriel Sterling, the voting system implementation manager in Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's office, told ABC News Prime anchor Linsey Davis Wednesday he believes  Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue have been unfairly put "in a box" by Trump's rhetoric and stance on the election. 

"They don't want to lose the Trump supporters, but by acting this way they're going to lose another chunk of supporters, and so it's a box they can't get out of and the president, it was unfair of him to put them in the situation," Sterling said.

Sterling's comments come a day after his impassioned pleas to the president to stop spreading false claims and conspiracies about the election and to condemn violent threats that have been directed at election officials. 

During that press conference, he called on Perdue and Loeffler to condemn the violent threats, which they did in statements, while also continuing to sow doubt in the election. 

Gabriel Sterling, Voting System Implementation Manager with the Georgia Secretary of State's office, speaks during a press conference at the Georgia State Capitol building in Atlanta, Dec. 2, 2020.
Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP

Sterling said he still plans to vote for them because, as a Republican, he said he wants to see the Republican Party maintain control of the Senate. 

Davis pressed him on this, saying his support for the senators makes his "compelling argument ... kind of fall a little hollow." Sterling said it's been somewhat of an internal struggle for him.

"Linsey, being a human being sometimes means dealing with ambiguity in your own mind and trying to balance out what you think is the right thing for the long term versus the right thing when you're in the moment," he said. 

"For the long term of this, I'm gonna continue to fight for the sanity and sanctity of my party, and the policies and values that I want to fight for," he added later.  "I was angry. I still believe that. And I do think if they step up, they can do better." 

Sterling said he would continue defending what he called the "safest, most secure election in the history of the United States, and that he "would go to (his) death bed" believing it was just that. 

"These two senators, they still have time in my opinion to step up and step out and do the right thing," Sterling said.

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