Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski calls on Trump to begin transition process

• Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska on Sunday said that President Donald Trump should begin the transition process to President-elect Joe Biden.
• "President Trump has had the opportunity to litigate his claims, and the courts have thus far found them without merit," she said in a statement.
• Murkowski is one of the first Republican senators to congratulate the president-elect, along with Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said on Sunday that President Donald Trump should begin the transition process to President-elect Joe Biden.

"President Trump has had the opportunity to litigate his claims, and the courts have thus far found them without merit," she said in a statement.

Trump has refused to concede the election and mounted a flurry of legal challenges in battleground states.

The Republican senator said it is important to "respect the integrity of the elections process."

"A pressure campaign on state legislators to influence the electoral outcome is not only unprecedented but inconsistent with our democratic process," she said. "It is time to begin the full and formal transition process."

The Trump administration has been criticised over its refusal to begin the transition process with the president-elect, which could jeopardize Biden's ability to immediately tackle pressing issues when he takes office. The Biden team has begun raising money to fund its own transition.

Murkowski is one of the first Republican senators to congratulate the president-elect, joining Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine. Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania on Saturday congratulated Biden after a judge dismissed a Trump campaign lawsuit in his state.