House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), a fierce critic of President-elect Trump, congratulated him Thursday, emphasizing that Democrats respect the will of the voters and won’t challenge the results.

“The American people have spoken,” Jeffries said in a statement. “I congratulate President-elect Donald J. Trump.”

The brief statement, issued two days after Trump and the Republicans routed Democrats at the polls, did not mention the 2020 election or the GOP’s efforts to deny President Biden’s victory and keep Trump in office that cycle.

But Jeffries’s emphasis on accepting election outcomes, even in defeat, was a clear shot at Trump and some of his allies in Congress for their refusal, even today, to assert that Trump lost the contest four years ago.

“I am proud that the Democratic Party does not believe in election denial,” Jeffries said. “Our Democracy is precious and it involves elevating........

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