Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Antony Blinken, President-elect Joe Biden’s choice for the top diplomatic position, on Friday to facilitate a smooth transition of power to the Biden’s upcoming administration.
Pompeo posted about the meeting on Twitter, noting that American interests abroad were a top priority.
“Today, I met with President-elect Joe Biden’s Secretary-Designate [Antony Blinken] in order to facilitate an orderly transition, and to ensure American interests are protected abroad,” Secretary Pompeo tweeted.
The meeting comes just days after President Donald Trump acknowledged his defeat in the 2020 presidential election during a video posted on YouTube.
“Now Congress has certified the results. A new administration will be inaugurated on January 20th. My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly an seamless transition of power. This moment calls for healing and reconciliation,” the president stated.
Pompeo echoed the president’s call for a smooth transition, tweeting that his meeting with the future secretary of state was “very productive” and that “we will continue to work together on behalf of America throughout the transition.”
Last week, a mob of unruly protesters forced their way through several layers of security and law enforcement to breach the Capitol building in an effort to disrupt the joint session of Congress working to certify Joe Biden as president-elect.
President Trump condemned the violence, calling the chaos that forced the Capitol building into a lockdown a “heinous attack.”
“Like all Americans, I am outraged by the violence, lawlessness and mayhem,” Trump said. “I immediately deployed the National Guard and federal law enforcement to secure the building and expel the intruders. America is and must always be a nation of law and order.”
Trump continued, “The demonstrators who infiltrated the Capitol have defiled the seat of American democracy. To those who engaged in the acts of violence and destruction: you do not represent our country. And to those who broke the law, you will pay.”
In the aftermath of the Capitol Hill protest, a growing number of Congressmen and women called for the immediate removal of President Trump, blaming him for the mayhem at the Capitol.
“What happened at the U.S. Capitol yesterday was an insurrection against the United States, incited by President Trump,” the top Senate Democrat tweeted. “This president must not hold office one day longer.”
“The quickest and most effective way — it can be done today — to remove this president from office would be for the Vice President to immediately invoke the 25th amendment,” the senator continued, adding, “If the Vice President and the Cabinet refuse to stand up, Congress much reconvene to impeach President Trump.”
