Administrator of GSA frees up $6 million for Biden transition,
WASHINGTON – A key Trump administration appointee said Monday she would allow President-elect Joe Biden to begin his official transition - paving the way for his team to get access to briefings, office space, secure computers and other government services needed for the transfer of power.
It marked a formal recognition by the Trump administration that Biden won the Nov. 3 election, even though the president has refused to concede and continues to make false allegations of voter fraud.
Biden was officially declared the winner on Nov. 7. But Emily Murphy, the Trump appointee who holds the keys to transition funds and tools, had delayed issuing an official determination recognizing Biden’s win as the Trump campaign filed a flurry of lawsuits challenging the results.
In a pair of tweets, President Donald Trump took credit for Murphy’s decision, saying he greenlighted the transition because it was in the “best interest of our country.” But Trump said he would continue contesting the results.
Murphy said she was not pressured by Trump, who appointed her to head the GSA in 2017, to hold back the formal ascertainment.
“Please know that I came to my decision independently, based on the law and available facts,” Murphy wrote in a letter to Biden. “I was never directly or indirectly pressured by any Executive Branch official – including those who work at the White House or GSA – with regard to the substance or timing of my decision.”
But Murphy said she did receive threats “online, by phone, and by mail directed at my safety, my family, my staff, and even my pets in an effort to coerce me into making this determination prematurely. Even in the face of thousands of threats, I always remained committed to upholding the law.”
Biden’s transition team suggested Murphy’s letter removed the final obstacle to the transfer of power.
“Today’s decision is a needed step to begin tackling the challenges facing our nation, including getting the pandemic under control and our economy back on track,” said Yohannes Abraham, executive director of the Biden-Harris transition team.
Murphy’s written determination undermines Trump’s protests that the election was unfair and that Biden’s win is not legitimate.
Her formal declaration will release more than $6 million to the Biden transition team, which it can use to hire staff, pay for travel, and cover other expenses.
Perhaps more importantly, Biden’s team will now automatically have access to briefings from key federal agencies, including information on the COVID-19 response and the plans for a vaccine rollout.
The General Services Administration, which manages federal buildings and leases, plays a key role in ensuring a smooth transition from one president to the next.
Biden earned 306 electoral votes to Trump’s 232; 270 electoral votes are needed to clinch the presidency.
Trump’s assertions about election malfeasance was at odds with a finding from a national coalition of election security officials, which concluded that the Nov. 3 general election was “the most secure in American history.”
“There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised,” said a statement from the security group, which included the cybersecurity agency within Trump’s own Department of Homeland Security, along with the National Association of State Election Directors.