Lost in transition, again

What Asa Hutchinson said, part II

“The November 3rd election was the most secure in American history.”

—Department of Homeland Security, Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, an executive branch authority

THE PRESIDENT’S own people tell him this month’s election was not rigged. The president’s own people know he’ll soon have to leave office. The president’s own people acknowledge reality.

That said, the president’s own people also say he has every right to challenge anything that might have been legally suspect in the Nov. 3 vote.

It’s a Hail Mary pass—maybe five or six Hail Mary passes, with three seconds on the clock—but it’s a legal play. And in the end, it looks very unlikely to succeed.

Asa Hutchinson acknowledged as much over the weekend, and on national TV too, which might mean he’s not as apprehensive about presidential tweets as most Republican office-holders:

“I expect Joe Biden to be the next president of the United States,” the governor of Arkansas said, echoing the thoughts, if not words, of the majority of Americans, including many Trump supporters. “It was good, actually, to see President Trump tweet out that [Biden] won. I think that’s a start of an acknowledgment.”

No, it wasn’t. The president walked back that earlier tweet with an all-caps vow to not concede.

For all the character it might show, there is nothing in the Constitution requiring Donald Trump to concede anything. And millions of Americans voted for him, many on the very reason that he isn’t a quitter.

But, again, Asa Hutchinson was the level-headed one on “Meet The Press”:

“There are some constitutional assertions in Pennsylvania. There’s a recount in Georgia. It is important that those processes go through. The president does not want to undermine those legitimate processes by jumping ahead and conceding the election, but we still have to start with that transition.”

Once again, a perfectly reasonable response. And it is important to determine if the state legislatures get to decide each state’s election laws, which is in the U.S. Constitution, or a secretary of state, which is not in the Constitution. This is the case in Pennsylvania, and it needs to be cleared up before the next election. And a recount in Georgia, even if it doesn’t change the outcome, may give citizens some assurances that everything was on the up and up.

But President Trump has denied Joe Biden’s people access to government agencies and resources for weeks. Dispatches from back East say the president-elect isn’t even getting the top-secret President’s Daily Briefing, which would be normal under almost any other conditions.

Folks have said before—Asa Hutchinson has said before, we’ve said before— that withholding intelligence briefings and access to government agencies could put Americans, and free people everywhere, in danger. But there’s another part of this story that will put Americans, and everyone else, in danger, if a non-transition persists:

With winter coming on, the covid-19 crisis is becoming worse. The nation’s top expert on pandemics, Dr. Anthony Fauci, told the press over the weekend that he’d like to work with the incoming administration. But hasn’t been able to.

“It’s almost like passing a baton in a race,” he said. “You don’t want to stop and then give it to somebody.” Because, obviously you’d have to get up to speed all over again.

The incoming White House chief of staff, Ron Klain, told the papers over the weekend that his team hasn’t been able to talk to health officials—Dr. Fauci only being one of them—because President Trump’s administration hasn’t triggered what’s called “ascertainment.” Which is the formal process of opening a transition.

Dr. Fauci isn’t the only one. The top doctor in charge of the administration’s vaccine effort—Moncef Slaoui—reportedly told The Financial Times that he’d like to work with Joe Biden’s team, but he can’t do so without permission from Donald Trump’s team. Even if President Trump’s Hail Marys weren’t enough to find widespread fraud and win the election, what is the downside to giving Joe Biden intel briefings?

This is silly. And childish. And dangerous.

What’s not silly and childish and dangerous is Asa Hutchinson. It’s said the current president watches a lot of television news. Perhaps he was watching NBC Sunday morning. And perhaps, even while he considers his legal options concerning the election, he’ll be convinced to take the necessary steps should those prove fruitless.

He doesn’t have to concede anything to better prepare Joe Biden, regardless of the outcome of the recounts and lawsuits.