On Monday, Republican lawmakers and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell denied accepting Democrat Joe Biden as the president-elect. They defended Donald Trump, who continues to make baseless allegations about widespread voter fraud even after Election Day.

In stark contrast, McConnell and several other Republicans did not echo Trump’s baseless claims that Democrats have tried to rig and steal the election. Neither did they publicly urged the president to give up. Their denial to accept Biden as the winner, just two days after she garnered enough Electoral College votes, represents the control that Trump still has on the GOP, although he is on the verge of leaving the White House. For now, it looks like they are backing Trump even in defeat.

Even Trump has refused to come to terms with his defeat in the election. McConnell said he supports the president's legal drive to challenge election results, citing his claims of voter fraud. While speaking on the Senate floor, Trump is 100 percent within his rights to investigate allegations of irregularities and consider his legal options, CNN reported.

During his last week's appearance at a photo opportunity alongside the new class of GOP senators, McConnell refrained from responding to questions about whether or not he has seen any evidence of fraud. However, on the Senate floor, he supported Trump's decision to challenge the reliability of the election results and continue waiting for statewide recounts that are already in progress.

McConnell went on to say that the American institutions are built for situations like these, adding that there is a system in place to address concerns, and the president is well within his rights to inquire about allegations of irregularities while considering his own legal options, POLITICO reported. McConnell is highly influential among Republicans, and his denial to accept Biden's victory and back Trump's efforts are likely to further extend the GOP’s resistance and hinder the transition process.

While Trump has repeatedly raised questions regarding mail-in ballots, claiming there were widespread violations in some states, he hasn't been able to provide any evidence to support his allegation. Even when his opponent secured 270 electoral votes and won the White House on Saturday, the president tweeted that he won the election.

As if that weren't enough, Trump even claimed that the election was stolen from him by the Democrats. During his meeting with Attorney General William Barr on Monday, McConnell said the Democrats should not give lectures, considering that they spent the last four years refusing to acknowledge the validity of the 2016 election.