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General Service Administration Chief Emily Murphy told President-elect Joe Biden on Monday that the Trump administration was making federal resources available for his transition to power.
The letter from Murphy, who had refused his decision to secure Biden’s electoral victory for weeks after the Nov. 3 election, came to light minutes before President Donald Trump tweeted that he approved the move.
The letter marks one of the first clear indications of the Trump administration’s recognition of its defeat in the 2020 election. But Trump has always refused to explicitly concede the race to Biden, who is expected to win 306 Electoral College votes to 232 of Trump.
Trump has falsely claimed he won the election “by many” and has promoted a variety of plots that allege widespread electoral fraud without evidence.
Lawyers for the Trump campaign, including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, have filed lawsuits in many key states that helped put Biden on top of the election. Most of them, who in some cases have called on judges to prevent states from certifying their final vote tally, have been rejected.
Murphy’s letter follows the latest round of setbacks in Trump’s efforts to overturn the projected election result, including another court defeat in Pennsylvania and certification of vote totals in Georgia and Michigan.
Murphy said in his letter to Biden that his decision freed up more than $ 7 million in federal funding for his transition. Biden’s team were already fundraising in the aftermath of Election Day and were on track to meet their fundraising goals.
“Today’s decision is a necessary step to begin to address the challenges facing our country, including containing the pandemic and getting our economy back on track,” said Biden’s transition team. in a press release.
“This final decision is a definitive administrative step to officially begin the transition process with federal agencies.”
Under federal law, the head of the GSA held the power to release millions of dollars allocated to presidential transition spending. After withholding those funds for weeks after the media predicted Biden would beat Trump, the low-profile agency suddenly came into the limelight.
Murphy had become the target of intense criticism and pressure from the public and lawmakers, who insisted that she immediately verify Biden’s victory and allow her team to use the funds. Last week, leaders of the Democratic House Committee demanded that Murphy personally inform them of the funding delay.
In the letter to Biden, Murphy strongly defended her actions and pushed back against her critics, who at times accused her of acting with political motives.
“I have devoted a large part of my adult life to public service and have always strived to do what is right. Please know that I came to my decision independently, based on the law and the facts available. I have never been directly or indirectly pressured by any executive official – including those who work in the White House or the GSA – regarding the content or timing of my decision Murphy wrote.
“To be clear, I have not received any instructions to delay my determination. I have, however, received threats online, by phone and in the mail addressed to my security, family, staff and even my pets. company in an attempt to force me to make this decision prematurely. Even in the face of thousands of threats, I have always remained committed to upholding the law, “Murphy wrote.
“Contrary to information and innuendo in the media, my decision was not made out of fear or favoritism,” she added. “Instead, I firmly believe that the statute requires the GSA administrator to verify, not impose, the alleged president-elect. Unfortunately, the statute does not provide any procedures or standards for this process, so I have looked at previous election precedents involving court challenges and incomplete accounts. “
Trump, in a pair of tweets after the letter was published, thanked Murphy by name “for his unwavering dedication and loyalty to our country.”
“She has been harassed, threatened and abused – and I don’t want that to happen to her, her family or the GSA employees,” the president tweeted.
Trump has maintained that his legal efforts are continuing “STRONG”, adding: “I believe we will win!”
But he added: “Nonetheless, in the best interest of our country, I recommend that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to the initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same.”
CNN first reported the letter from the GSA to the president-elect.
Read Murphy’s letter to Biden:
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