Lawyer who argued for Bush in 2000 election: ‘I do believe the election is over’

Theodore Olson, the lawyer who argued George W. Bush’s case to the Supreme Court in the 2000 election, said he feels that the 2020 election is over and the nation will have a new president when Democrat Joe Biden is inaugurated.

“The Framers, they separated the powers because they knew that individuals would be flawed. They put in lots of checks, and we just experienced one, the election,” Olson said during a panel hosted by the Federalist Society, according to the National Law Journal. 

“To the extent that the citizens of this country did not like the manner in which President Trump spoke, or the manner in which he threatened people or the manner in which he executed the laws, they exercised their franchise. And we have — I do believe the election is over — we do have a new president,” Olson said.

Multiple news outlets called the presidential race in Biden’s favor on Saturday, but Trump has refused to concede the race as his campaign has launched a series of lawsuits in several states. 

Trump and his allies have made unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud, but Biden leads by tens of thousands of votes in some key states. 

On Thursday evening, the Election Infrastructure Government Coordinating Council and the Election Infrastructure Sector Coordinating Council in a joint statement said the election was the most secure in American history.

“Right now, across the country, election officials are reviewing and double checking the entire election process prior to finalizing the result,” the groups said. 

“There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised,” the officials emphasized. 

Emily Murphy, a Trump appointee who oversees the General Services Administration, has refused to acknowledge Biden as president-elect, preventing the team from beginning multiple aspects of the transition. 

Murphy’s acknowledgement of Biden as president-elect gives the team access to millions of federal funding for salaries, consultants and travel as well as the ability to meet with current government officials and to be briefed on intelligence.