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As U.S. President Donald Trump and his allies attacked the integrity of the 2020 election — a misinformation campaign that culminated with an unprecedented effort to block President-elect Joe Biden's transition into the White House — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made himself available to reporters for a news conference on Nov. 10. There, viewers alleged, Pompeo, who is one of Trump's most loyal Cabinet members, made a point to defy results of the popular vote showing Biden as America's 46th president, and promised that there will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration. The alleged comment would mean America's top diplomat publicly denied the outcome of the presidential election, despite the fact that his department advocates for free and fair elections abroad. Simultaneously, by confidently stating Trump would have another term, he undermined a key argument made by Trump and his supporters: The elections process was ongoing due to court litigation and the electoral process, making it unclear whether Trump or Biden would assume the White House on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, 2021. (We explain the Electoral College and the process for certifying ballots after news media declare winners in presidential races here.) According to C-SPAN footage of the press briefing (displayed below) as well as a transcript by the White House, Pompeo opened the event by promoting the government's activities in several foreign countries without mentioning the U.S. presidential election. Then, a reporter asked: Is the state department currently preparing to engage with the Biden transition team, and, if not, at what point does a delay hamper smooth transition or pose a risk to national security? Pompeo responded: In other words, it was accurate to claim Pompeo said there will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration, despite the fact that voters picked Biden as the 46th president. Hours later, Pompeo said in a Fox News interview with host Bret Baier that the state department would be prepared come January, no matter who was in the White House. Per video footage of the interview (displayed below below) and a White House transcript, that exchange unfolded like this: In short, he did not answer whether he was being serious about promising a smooth transition to a second Trump administration, nor did he use Baier's question as an opportunity to explicitly correct his remark at the press conference. Additionally, he did not mention the Republican president by name in the Fox News interview, and said the department was a ready for a good transition with whoever is in office on noon on January 20. In sum, considering video evidence and transcripts of Pompeo's remark at the Nov. 10 press conference — as well as the fact he said afterwards the department would be ready for whoever is in office on Inauguration Day — we deem this claim mostly accurate.
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