[ad_1]
“Please know that I came to my decision independently, based on the law and the facts available,” Murphy wrote. “I have never been pressured directly or indirectly from any executive branch official – including those who work in the White House or the GSA – regarding the content or timing of my decision. To be clear, I have not received any instructions to delay my determination. “
The letter marks Murphy’s formal approval of Biden’s victory, a normally superficial process known as vetting. The move will allow the transition to officially begin, allowing heads of current administrative agencies to coordinate with Biden’s new team and provide millions of government funds for the transition.
Biden’s team will now have access to additional offices within the agencies and can use federal resources to background check Biden’s staff appointments to the White House and Cabinet choices.
Yohannes Abraham, executive director of Biden’s Transition, said the start of the transition was a “necessary step to begin addressing the challenges our nation faces, including containing the pandemic and getting back on track. our economy “.
“This final decision is a definitive administrative action to officially begin the transition process with federal agencies,” Abraham said. “In the coming days, transition officials will begin meeting with federal officials to discuss the pandemic response, get a full account of our national security interests, and gain a full understanding of the efforts of the Trump administration to gut government agencies. “
This is the latest sign that Trump’s conspiratorial legal offer, led by Rudy Giuliani, to circumvent the election result is coming to an end. Lawsuits brought by the Trump campaign to delay certification of elections have been dismissed in several states because its legal team has provided no evidence of widespread electoral fraud.
But so far, Murphy has refused to move forward with the verification process, despite Biden’s clear victory. Murphy, a political appointee by Trump, has faced intense scrutiny and political pressure from Democrats and, in recent days, Republicans calling for the start of a smooth transition. In a statement Monday, Sen. Rob Portman, a Republican from Ohio, said that “there is as yet no evidence of fraud or widespread irregularities that would change the outcome in any state “and called on the transition process to begin.
In the letter, Murphy suggested that the verification rules were vague and should be updated.
“The GSA does not dictate the outcome of legal disputes and debriefing, nor does it determine whether such proceedings are reasonable or justified,” she wrote. “These are matters that the Constitution, federal laws and state laws leave to the process of certification of elections and the decisions of the competent courts. I don’t think an agency charged with improving federal government procurement and property management should place itself above the constitution. electoral process. I urge Congress to consider amendments to the law. “
Trump tweeted moments after the letter was published, thanking Murphy for his work and affirming the decision to begin the transition.
“I want to thank Emily Murphy of GSA for her unwavering dedication and loyalty to our country. She’s been harassed, threatened and abused – and I don’t want that to happen to her, her family or the GSA employees. Our case continues STRONG, we will continue the good fight and I believe we will win! Trump tweeted. “Nonetheless, in the best interest of our country, I recommend that Emily and her team do what needs to be done regarding the initial protocols and told my team to do the same.”
Two Trump advisers said the president’s tweets were read by people in his orbit as essentially a concession.
“A veiled attempt to justify continuing fundraising,” said the second adviser.
The General Service Administration informed federal departments on Monday evening that it had determined Biden to be the winner of the presidential election, according to an email obtained by CNN.
“In accordance with the 1963 Presidential Transition Act, as amended today November 23, 2020, the GSA Administrator has determined that Joseph R. Biden and Senator Kamala Harris are the apparently successful candidates for the post of President and vice president, respectively, “Mary Gibert, the federal transition coordinator, wrote in an email to federal department contacts.
A senior White House official said some staff members were initially caught off guard by the GSA letter, first learning about it from CNN. But the official said staff members will begin to cooperate with Biden’s transition team, adding that they are seeking more information on next steps.
For two weeks after the election call for Biden, Murphy remained silent as the verification delay extended, drawing public pressure from Congressional Democrats and Biden himself, who warned the delay could cost lives in due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Democrats were demanding a briefing from Murphy on Tuesday to explain his decision making, rejecting the GSA’s proposal earlier on Monday for his MP to brief Congress next week. Democratic committee chairs sent a slew of new letters to Murphy on Tuesday asking him to allow the transition to begin and warning him of the consequences of not doing so.
This story was updated with additional reports on Monday.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misspelled Mary Gibert’s name.
CNN’s Jeff Zeleny, Jeremy Diamond, Jim Acosta and Arlette Saenz contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
Source link