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Senate Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
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CHIP SOMODEVILLA / AFP
The incumbent US President Donald Trump receives support for his plan to take legal action against the election victory of the Democrat Joe Biden.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in Washington: "President Trump has 100 percent the right to examine allegations of irregularity and weigh up his legal options."
Unlike the President, McConnell did not speak of "election fraud".
If there were any irregularities in the election that would have affected the outcome, "every American" should want this to come to light, McConnell said.
“A few” legal steps taken by the president would not mean “the end of the republic”.
McConnell has been a member of the US Senate for the state of Kentucky since 1985, where he heads the Republican faction.
The major US broadcaster declared Trump's challenger Joe Biden the winner of the presidential election on Saturday.
Trump has not yet recognized his defeat and wants to go to court for alleged electoral fraud.
So far, however, there is no evidence of fraud.
The electoral authorities had not reported any major irregularities.
So far, leading Republicans have been reluctant to officially recognize Biden's election victory.
On Monday, Senator Susan Collins was one of the few to congratulate "President-Elect" Biden on his "obvious victory".
"He loves this country and I wish him success," said the moderate Republican, who had cautiously distanced herself from Trump on several occasions in the past few months.
After losing the presidential election, the Republicans still have a good chance of defending their majority in the Senate.
The decisive factor will be two runoff elections in the state of Georgia in early January.
The Democrats are still hoping for a majority there.
How much room for maneuver the president has depends on the majority in the US Senate.
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