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Source: PA Images
The US PRESIDENTIAL transition has been engulfed in an uproar, with Donald Trump blocking government cooperation with Joe Biden’s team and Attorney General William Barr authorizing the Justice Department to investigate allegations of voter fraud.
Some Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, supported Trump’s efforts to fight the election results.
Few in the party acknowledged Joe Biden’s victory, or condemned Trump’s other controversial move yesterday: his firing of Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
Events cast doubt on whether the nation will witness the same kind of smooth transition of power that has long anchored its democracy.
The Electoral College is scheduled to formally confirm Biden’s victory on December 14, and the Democrat will take office at the end of January.
Barr has authorized the Justice Department to investigate “substantial” allegations of voter wrongdoing and voter fraud, although there are no widespread instances of such problems. In fact, election officials from both political parties have publicly stated that the vote went well. International observers also confirmed that there were no serious irregularities.
Biden’s campaign attorney, Bob Bauer, said Barr’s memo authorizing the investigations “will only fuel the ‘misleading, speculative, fanciful or implausible claims’ he professes to protect himself against.”
Biden went ahead with plans to build his administration, assembling a team of experts to tackle the growing pandemic. But the federal agency that needs to give the green light to the beginning of the transition of power has refrained from taking that step. And the White House took steps to crack down on those who did not consider themselves loyal enough as Trump continued to refuse to concede the race.
Attorney General William Barr (center) leaves the offices of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Capitol Hill yesterday.
Source: PA Images
Trump remained out of sight at the White House, with ongoing conversations about how the defeated president would spend the next few days and weeks as he defied the people’s verdict.
The former reality TV star is not expected to formally relent, but is likely to reluctantly leave the White House at the end of his term, according to several people around him.
The possibility of more campaign-style rallies is also being discussed as Trump tries to keep his supporters excited despite his loss. Their family and prominent supporters might be featured, but not the president himself.
Some attendees hoped the removal of Esper, the Pentagon chief, would be the first of several Trump firings. Others believed to be now vulnerable include FBI Director Christopher Wray, CIA Director Gina Haspel, and infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci.
McConnell gave the president cover to keep fighting, considered by many in the Republican Party as the person who will eventually need to push Trump out.
“We have the system in place to consider concerns, and President Trump is 100% within his rights to investigate allegations of wrongdoing and weigh his legal options,” McConnell said.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer responded that the Republicans’ refusal to accept the election results was “extremely dangerous, extremely poisonous to our democracy.”
Adding to the sense of uncertainty, the General Services Administration (GSA) delayed the formal start of the transition, preventing Biden’s teams from gaining access to federal agencies.
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A GSA spokesman said late Monday that a “determination” had not yet been made on the winner of the election. Citing the agency’s response to the extended 2000 electoral recount, he noted that it might not do so until Trump relents or the Electoral College meets next month.
President Donald Trump playing golf on Sunday. His public appearances have been limited since the elections.
In a call with reporters last night, a transition official said the Biden team believed it was time for the GSA administrator to determine that Biden is president-elect. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said legal action was “certainly a possibility” if it were not, although other options are also being considered.
Across the government, there were signs of a slowdown.
White House officials and Trump’s political appointees informed career administration staff that they would not begin acting on transition planning until approved by the GSA, according to officials familiar with the matter.
But elements of the federal government were mobilizing to prepare for Biden to take office. The US Secret Service and the Federal Aviation Administration extended a flight restriction over Biden’s home in Delaware until Opening Day. In addition, Biden’s security detail has been reinforced with agents from the Presidential Protection Division.
Legal challenges have already been dismissed in battle states like Georgia and Wisconsin. And Trump’s legal efforts took another hit on Monday when campaign adviser David Bossie, charged with leading the effort, tested positive for the coronavirus.
Bossie had been to the Election Night Party at the White House which is now seen as a potential wide-spread event after other attendees, including Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson and other attendees contracted the virus.
Trump’s public schedule has not included an intelligence briefing since Oct. 1. The White House has not provided a “reading” of any calls between the president and a foreign leader in weeks. He hasn’t met with members of the White House coronavirus task force in months. He also did not offer public comment on Tropical Storm Eta hitting the Florida Keys.
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