Bernie Sanders says the 'GOP has ceased to be a political party' and 'is now a cult' for staying silent on Trump's election attacks

• Senator Bernie Sanders criticized Republicans for refusing to speak out against President Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
• "It is beyond pathetic for a sitting president to try to subvert the results of an election," the Vermont senator tweeted on Friday. "It is even worse when the Republican Party, with few exceptions, remains silent over this outrageous attack on democracy."
• "The GOP has ceased to be a political party," he added. "It is now a cult."

Sen. Bernie Sanders sharply criticized Republicans on Friday for neglecting to speak out against President Donald Trump's attempts to undermine the election results as he shifts tactics from his struggling court cases. Trump is apparently pushing state lawmakers to overturn their state's official election result, a move likely to be illegal in some states and extremely unlikely to work, experts warn.

"It is beyond pathetic for a sitting president to try to subvert the results of an election," Sanders said in a tweet. "It is even worse when the Republican Party, with few exceptions, remains silent over this outrageous attack on democracy."

The independent senator of Vermont added that the "GOP has ceased to be a political party" and "is now a cult."

Democrats widely congratulated President-elect Joe Biden on his 2020 win almost two weeks ago and have condemned GOP officials for failing to do the same.

High-profile Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have avoided commenting on the president's baseless claims of widespread voter fraud and false assertions that he won the election, instead signaling that the courts can settle the disputes. The Trump campaign is attempting to challenge the results in several states, though has not yet won any of the nearly two dozen lawsuits filed.

Only a handful of prominent Republicans have publicly acknowledged Biden's victory, such as Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, and Susan Collins of Maine, who have all been been critical of Trump during his presidency.

Romney scorched the president on Thursday shortly after The New York Times reported that Trump plans to welcome Republican state lawmakers of Michigan to the White House, while the state is expecting to certify its election results for Biden.

"Having failed to make even a plausible case of widespread fraud or conspiracy before any court of law, the President has now resorted to overt pressure on state and local officials to subvert the will of the American people and overturn the election," Romney tweeted. "It's difficult to imagine a worse, more undemocratic action by a sitting American President."

Despite Trump's refusal to concede, the electoral certification process is well underway. States are formally certifying their presidential election results and electors from each state will then cast their votes in mid-December. The new president will be sworn in on Jan. 20, 2021.