Pence calls Harris to offer his congrats
WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence has called his soon-to-be successor Kamala Harris to offer his congratulations, according to two people familiar with the conversation.
It’s the first known contact between the elected members of the outgoing and incoming administrations. President Donald Trump has not reached out to President-elect Joe Biden and has repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of Biden’s win.
But Pence has become an unexpected defender of Biden’s. The vice president resisted pressure from Trump to object to the Democrat’s election win while presiding over Congress’ certification of the Electoral Vote count last week.
Pence will also attend Biden’s Jan. 20 inauguration, which Trump is refusing to attend.
One of the people familiar with the Thursday afternoon conversation described it as a “good call,” with Pence congratulating his successor and offering assistance. They spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the private conversation.
The call came less than a week before Biden and Harris take office, and just over a week after the storming of the Capitol by Trump’s supporters.
While Trump has remained largely behind closed doors fuming since his loss, Pence has been stepping up and fulfilling many of the ceremonial duties of the presidency, including greeting members of the National Guard now protecting the Capitol building Thursday evening.
The call to his successor is a continuation of the traditional show of comity between outgoing and incoming leaders that Trump, in contrast, has flouted.