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Some top American business leaders called on Congress to confirm election results for President-elect Joe Biden in a letter Monday, arguing that “attempts to block or delay this process against the essential principles of our democracy ”.
The letter, signed by sets at American Express, Goldman Sachs, JetBlue, Microsoft, Pfizer and others, marks the public effort of the U.S. business community to date to push back against Donald Trump’s continued efforts to achieve turn election.
Organized by the partners of a business advocacy group for New York City, the letter states: “The incoming Biden administration is addressing urgent actions to defeat Covid -19 and restoring the livelihoods of millions of Americans who lost jobs and businesses during the pandemic.
“Our properly chosen leaders deserve the respect and support of all American bipartisans as we tackle the worst health and economic crises in modern history. There should be no further delay in the systematic transfer of power. “
Many leaders in the business community initially embraced the Trump administration and Trump established a high-powered jobs panel to revitalize the U.S. economy. But many of these leaders stopped after apparent support for white supremacists following a deadly rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Among those who signed Monday’s letter is Jonathan Gray, chief executive officer of Blackstone, the private equity group run by Stephen Schwarzman, one of Trump’s biggest supporters.