Formal Biden transition to begin
U.S. agency allows transition to begin
WILMINGTON• U.S. President- elect Joe Bide non Monday was formally given the go-ahead by a federal agency to begin his transition to the White House, shortly after the battleground state of Michigan certified him as the winner there.
The U.S. General Services Administration, an independent agency, in a letter informed Biden, a Democrat, that his transition — leading up to a Jan. 20 inauguration — could officially begin.
News of the letter was soon followed by tweets in which Trump thanked Murphy and said he had recommended initial protocols for the transition.
“I want to thank Emily Murphy at GSA for her steadfast dedication and loyalty to our Country,” Trump tweeted Monday night. “She has been harassed, threatened, and abused — and I do not want to see this happen to her, her family, or employees of GSA.”
He added: “Our case STRONGLY continues, we will keep up the good fight, and I believe we will prevail! Nevertheless, in the best interest of our Country, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same.”
Murphy later said the decision allowing the start of a presidential transition to Biden was “solely mine” despite the suggestion from Trump that he recommended the move.
“I want you to hear directly from me: I was never pressured with regard to the substance or timing of my decision. The decision was solely mine,” Emily Murphy said in a letter. “I was not directly or indirectly pressured by any Executive Branch official — including those who work at the White House or GSA — to delay this determination or to speed it up.”
The move by the GSA means Biden's team will now have federal funds and an official office to conduct his transition over the next two months.
It also paves the way for Biden and vice-presidentelect Kamala Harris to receive regular national security briefings that Trump also gets. A statement by the Biden transition said meetings would begin with federal officials on Washington’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, along with discussions of national security issues.
With the rapid-fire developments, the Republican president’s already languishing efforts to overturn his Nov. 3 election defeat appeared to be coming to a close.
Earlier Monday, Trump’s campaign told a federal appeals court it would seek to halt the “effect” of Pennsylvania’s likely certification of
THE U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE SAID THE CASE WAS BASED ON `STRAINED
LEGAL ARGUMENTS.
the election results, after a lower court paved the way to certify Biden as the winner.
Pennsylvania was expected to send its county results to its top election official for certification on Monday. Biden received 51 per cent of the vote in Pennsylvania and 81,000 more votes than Trump.
The Trump lawsuit alleges inconsistent treatment by county election officials of mail-in ballots.
U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann, in his ruling, said the case was based on “strained legal arguments” and that he had “no authority to take away the right to vote of even a single person, let alone millions of citizens.”
Georgia will begin recounting votes again on Tuesday morning in response to a request from the Trump campaign, a state official said.
The new recount, which is not expected to alter certified results that show Biden won the election, will end on Dec. 2. Georgia certified its election results last week after conducting a laborious manual recount. Biden defeated Trump in Georgia by a 0.26 per cent margin.