President Trump is trying to steal the election. He’s making false claims of fraud and refusing to help the transition to President-Elect Biden. That transition process should include providing President-Elect Biden with briefings on national security and on the federal response to the pandemic, among other issues. President Trump had blocked those briefings.

The losers here are the American people. We’re dying at unprecendented numbers from COVID. President Trump’s actions will slow down vaccine distribution and other aspects of COVID response. And, President Trump’s failure to allow President-Elect Biden his legally-mandated access to security information could put our country at huge risk. In 2000, the transition process to the George W. Bush administration was slowed by the Florida recount. President Bush has said that this slow transition meant that his administration missed vital information on Al Quaeda that could have prevented the 9/11 attacks.

Republican leaders (including Senator Portman) need to step up and speak the truth to President Trump. The election is over. He lost. He lost the popular vote and the electoral vote. His efforts to change that reality are getting thrown out in court, but they’re also wasting valuable time. With every day that he fails to accept reality and allow the transition process to proceed, Americans are in greater danger.

Maya Fischhoff, Ada