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“Please know that I made my decision independently, based on the law and available facts,” Murphy wrote. “I was never pressured directly or indirectly by any Executive Branch official, including those working in the White House or the GSA, regarding the substance or timing of my decision. To be clear, I did not receive any instructions to delay my determination. . “
The letter marks Murphy’s formal signature on Biden’s victory, a normally cursory process known as verification. The move will allow the transition to officially begin, allowing officials from the current management agency to coordinate with the incoming Biden team and provide millions in government funding for the transition.
Biden’s team will now have access to additional office space within agencies and the ability to use federal resources for background checks on Biden’s White House staff appointments and cabinet elections.
Yohannes Abraham, executive director of the transition at Biden, said that the beginning of the transition was a “necessary step to begin to address the challenges facing our nation, including controlling the pandemic and recovering our economy.”
“This final decision is a final administrative action to formally begin the transition process with federal agencies,” Abraham said. “In the coming days, transition officials will begin meeting with federal officials to discuss the response to the pandemic, have a full accounting of our national security interests, and gain a full understanding of the Trump administration’s efforts to empty agencies. governmental “.
It’s the latest sign that Trump’s conspiracy-laden legal bid, led by Rudy Giuliani, to circumvent the election result is coming to an end. The demands of the Trump campaign to delay the certification of the elections have been dismissed in several states, as his legal team has not provided any evidence of widespread electoral fraud.
But until now, Murphy had refused to go through with the verification process, despite Biden’s clear victory. Murphy, a Trump political appointee, 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 “so far there is no evidence of any widespread fraud or wrongdoing that changes the outcome in any state” and called for 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 report, or determine whether such procedures are reasonable or justified,” he wrote. “These are issues that the Constitution, federal laws, and state laws leave to the electoral certification process and the decisions of the courts of competent jurisdiction. I do not believe that an agency charged with improving federal procurement and property management should be placed above constitutionality. based on the election process. I strongly urge Congress to consider amendments to the law. “
Trump tweeted moments after the letter was reported, thanking Murphy for his work and affirming the decision to initiate the transition.
“I want to thank Emily Murphy of GSA for her steadfast dedication and loyalty to our country. She has been harassed, threatened and abused and I do not want this to happen to her, her family or the GSA employees. Our case continues STRONG, we will continue with the good fight and I believe we will prevail. ” Trump tweeted. “However, in the best interest of our country, I recommend that Emily and her team do whatever is necessary regarding the initial protocols, and I have told my team to do the same.”
Two Trump advisers said people in his orbit are reading the president’s tweets as essentially a concession.
“A veiled attempt to justify continued fundraising requests,” said the second adviser.
The General Services Administration informed federal departments Monday night that it determined that Biden was the winner of the presidential election, according to an email obtained by CNN.
“In accordance with the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, as amended, today, November 23, 2020, the Administrator of the GSA has determined that Joseph R. Biden and Senator Kamala Harris are the apparently successful candidates for the offices 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 finding out from CNN. But the official said staff will begin cooperating with Biden’s transition team, adding that they were seeking more information on next steps.
For two weeks after the election for Biden was called, Murphy was silent as the verification delay dragged on, prompting public pressure from Democrats in Congress and Biden himself, who warned that the delay could cost lives due to to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Democrats were demanding a briefing from Murphy on Tuesday to explain his decision making, rejecting the GSA’s proposal early Monday that his deputy report to Congress next week. The chairmen of the Democratic committees sent a large number of new letters to Murphy Tuesday demanding that he allow the transition to begin and warning him of the consequences of not doing so.
This story has been 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.
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