Former Bush chief of staff cites 9/11, warns of slow transition



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George W. Bush’s chief of staff Andy Card told CNBC that “it is concerning” that the Trump administration has refused to cooperate with President-elect Biden’s transition team as the country grapples with to the worst public health crisis in a century.

“This pandemic demands that we get it [democracy] work, and I’m not sure why the Trump administration won’t share the details of trying to get vaccines into states for people at the right time, in the right way, and alleviate the problem, ”Card said. .

Coronavirus-related hospitalizations are at an all-time high across the country with nearly 62,000 infected patients in hospitals right now, according to Johns Hopkins. New cases continue to skyrocket and continue to rise in 49 states. The United States exceeded 100,000 new cases every day for more than a week and more than 1,400 Americans died from Covid on Tuesday.

In an interview with CNBC correspondent Eamon Javers, former Obama administration health and human services secretary Kathleen Sebelius stressed the importance for the Biden administration of knowing the location of PPE. This knowledge, she said, will be critical for the Biden administration if it invokes the Defense Production Act to push PPE into hospitals amid a surge in coronavirus cases.

“Having a transparent transfer of information, having discussions in advance can only help get vaccines to the right places at the right time, and help governors understand what they can count on from the federal government and what they need. set up. ”Sebelius says.

Card helped guide the Bush campaign through the 2000 recount, which delayed President Bill Clinton’s transition to Bush for 37 days. In a Wednesday night interview on “The News with Shepard Smith,” Card put transition time into perspective when it comes to a national crisis.

“The 9/11 Commission said if there had been a longer transition and cooperation, there could have been a better response, or maybe even no attack,” the former chief said. of staff. “This is very serious, so we are asking the president to open the transition office, donate the money, let people start the transition and prepare to take over on January 20 at noon, even though we don’t do it. Know the full results. ”

As Card stressed that he believes all votes should be counted, he told host Shepard Smith that Bush did the right thing by calling and congratulating Joe Biden.

“I think it’s hyperbole beyond expectation, not credibility, to say that someone stole the election, they didn’t,” Card said. “A record number of people voted, in fact everyone should celebrate it, it’s a sign of a great democracy.

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