Our View: On President-elect Joe Biden, Mitch McConnell, Kevin McCarthy and other top Republicans appear determined to remain spineless until the end.

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It now seems tragically clear that Americans might never see a "have-you-no-sense-of-decency?" moment coming from attacked the state's Republican governor and secretary of state  — both supporters of his — for failing to intervene when Biden won Georgia. Trump has also promoted a debunked theory that voting machines there have been manipulated. The result: Some Trump supporters are urging a boycott of the runoff elections. ("IGNORE those people," a worried Donald Trump Jr. tweeted.)

Dozens of Trump lawsuits challenging election results and alleging widespread fraud have been thrown out of court for lack of evidence, one dismissed by a Pennsylvania judge who said it contained “strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations."

Battleground states are one by one same number that Trump received in his "landslide" victory over Hillary Clinton four years ago.

In 2016, Trump told Fox News' Maria Bartiromo, who failed to challenge his fantasies. "This country cannot have fake elections, like we have fake news."

Such words do real damage to the orderly transfer of power that has been an American hallmark for 230 years. Surveys show Trump's followers are listening, that 70% to 80% Republicans refuse to believe that Biden won.

McConnell, McCarthy and other Republican leaders have to wrestle with the cold, political reality that Trump continues to have a fervent base. But will reasons for complicit silence ever end? And as the president continues attempting to take a sledgehammer to the American election process, what of the oath these GOP leaders took to protect and defend the Constitution — not Donald Trump?

Again and again since Trump was nominated, these leaders (except for a handful of profiles in courage, such as Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah) have failed to call out conduct that they would have excoriated in any Democrat.

As the Electoral College prepares to formally choose Biden on Dec. 14, Trump's Republican enablers appear determined to remain spineless until the end.

USA TODAY's editorial opinions are decided by its Opinion email newsletter. To respond to this editorial, submit a comment to letters@lightfiretech.com.

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