Trump's lawsuit over Pennsylvania vote heads to court

A hearing on US President Donald Trump campaign's federal lawsuit seeking to prevent Pennsylvania officials from certifying the vote results remains on track after a judge quickly denied the campaign’s new lawyer’s request for a delay.

Trump will bring his floundering efforts to overturn President-Elect Joe Biden's victory to a court on Tuesday, where another legal setback would likely doom his already long-shot prospects.

US District Judge Matthew Brann, who sits in Williamsport, will hear arguments in a lawsuit the Trump campaign brought on November 9 that seeks to halt the state's top election official from certifying Biden, a Democrat, as the winner.

The campaign and Trump supporters have filed a flurry of lawsuits in multiple states challenging the November 3 election but have yet to overturn any votes. 

Pennsylvania has been a fixture of those efforts and any hope of reversing the election hangs on the outcome in the state.

Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar is due to certify the election results on November 23, meaning Brann is expected to rule quickly.

On Monday, three lawyers representing the Trump campaign asked to withdraw from the case, saying the campaign had consented but offering little explanation.

Biden clinched the election with his victory in Pennsylvania, putting him over the 270 electoral votes needed to win. Edison Research said on Friday Biden had won 306 Electoral College votes to Republican Trump’s 232.

READ MORE: Trump concedes 'nothing' after claiming Biden won 'rigged' election

Georgia election chief fights fellow Republicans

President Trump and his allies vent their outrage at the fellow Republican over unsupported claims that mismanagement and fraud tainted the state's presidential election.

Trump spent the weekend attacking Brad Raffensperger on social media, at one point calling him "a so-called Republican (RINO)," an acronym for "Republican in name only." 

Raffensperger punched back, disputing Trump's claims that he made it easier for Democrats to cheat using mail-in ballots. The secretary also called US Rep Doug Collins, who is running Trump's Georgia recount effort, a "liar." 

On Monday, Raffensperger told The Washington Post that he believed South Carolina Republican Sen Lindsey Graham was pressuring him to improperly discard ballots. Graham dismissed the allegation as "ridiculous."

READ MORE: US election officials find 'no evidence' of lost or changed votes

Raffensperger: No evidence of widespread fraud

Trump and his allies claimed Raffensperger didn't do enough to root out "illegal" votes.

After the Trump campaign asked for a hand recount of all 5 million votes cast in Georgia, Raffensperger chose the presidential election for an audit, which Georgia law now requires for one statewide race each election cycle. 

He also insisted that all votes, not just a sampling of ballots, as is the norm for audits, be recounted and that the tally be conducted by hand.

Not shying away from the fact that he's a Republican, Raffensperger has said publicly that he wished Trump had won. 

But he's also held firm in saying that he has seen no evidence of widespread fraud or voting irregularities and that he expects Biden’s 14,000-vote lead to hold up once the audit is complete.

The elections chief has largely been left to fight on his own.

READ MORE: Trump loyalists rally in Washington refusing to accept election results