He said “ambitious politicians” are trying to tap into Mr. Trump’s base without doing real, long-term damage.
“But they’re wrong and this issue is bigger than anyone’s personal ambitions,” Mr. Sasse said. “Adults don’t point a loaded gun at the heart of legitimate self-government.”
Mr. Sasse, who was first elected in 2014 and reelected this year, also revealed that he wrote in Vice President Mike Pence on his presidential ballot in 2016 and 2020.
Sen. Josh Hawley, Missouri Republican, said Wednesday he planned to object when the results are announced in Congress on Jan. 6.
“I cannot vote to certify the electoral college results on January 6 without raising the fact that some states, particularly Pennsylvania, failed to follow their own state election laws,” Mr. Hawley said.
“In the midst of a pandemic when so many Americans are grieving the loss of family, friends and neighbors it is important that we honor those who have died, reflect on what has been one of the more challenging periods in the nation’s history, and renew our commitment to coming together to end the pandemic and rebuild our nation,” inauguration committee spokeswoman Pili Tobar said in a statement.
More than 340,000 people in the U.S. have died from the virus.
Mr. Biden has repeatedly warned that even with the quick development of at least two vaccines, the U.S. hasn’t seen the worst of the coronavirus pandemic.
“What we have not done and will not do is use current OMB staff to write … legislative policy proposals to dismantle this Administration’s work,” Mr. Vought said in a letter to Ted Kaufman, who is leading Mr. Biden’s transition team.
Mr. Vought also sent an identical letter to Jeff Zients, who Mr. Biden named as his COVID-19 czar.
He said his team isn’t responsible for redirecting staff and resources to draft the Biden team’s budget proposals.
“Our system of government has one President and one Administration at a time,” Mr. Vought wrote. “OMB will not participate in developing policies that will weaken border security, dismantle the President’s deregulatory successes, and draft budgets that will bankrupt America.”
A decision favoring the U.S. would open the door for Mr. Assange to be sent there to face charges related to soliciting, receiving and sharing classified military and diplomatic materials.
Her ruling may be appealed either way, however, making a final decision on the fate of Mr. Assange, who risks spending the rest of his life in prison if extradited to the U.S., still a way off.
Defenders of Mr. Assange have recently sought to spare him the possibility of being extradited or imprisoned by pushing for President Trump to grant him a pardon before leaving office soon.
“These aren’t your typical old-style conservative southern Democrats,” he said. “I mean, these guys are pretty far left even for the Democratic Party. So, no I don’t have any interest in electing them or any more like them into positions of power.”
That attitude is a daunting reality for Democrats who watched Mr. Biden ride a wave of energized liberals, disgruntled Trump voters and anti-Trump Republicans to win Georgia in November.
GOP operatives said Mr. Warnock and Mr. Ossoff will struggle to duplicate that as they try to unseat incumbent Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler.
“It was evident that there were people for whatever reason who did not like Donald Trump, who voted for Joe Biden, but pretty much all the way down the rest of the ballot they voted Republican,” said former state House Majority Leader Jerry Keen.