U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo refused to acknowledge President-elect Joe Biden's victory, saying there will be a smooth transition into a second Trump administration.

According to various U.S. media outlets, Pompeo also said at a news briefing on Tuesday that all the votes will be counted and electors will then be selected in a process laid out by the Constitution.

Additionally, Pompeo ridiculed a reporter who asked whether Trump's refusal to concede undermines the State Department's advice to other countries about accepting the results of free and fair elections.

In response to Pompeo's remarks, Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee, said Pompeo should not play along with the groundless and dangerous attacks on the legitimacy of last week’s election.

CNN reported that diplomats at the State Department expressed shock, confusion and outrage at Pompeo's comment, which they claim undermined their work to promote fair elections and peaceful democratic transitions overseas.