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WASHINGTON: The US federal agency that must approve the presidential transition told President-elect Joe Biden on Monday that the transfer process can formally begin.
“I take this role seriously and, due to recent developments involving legal challenges and certifications of election results, I am transmitting this letter to you today so that those resources and services are available to you,” wrote the Head of Administration. General Service Officer Emily Murphy in a letter to Biden. .
US President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter that he recommended that Murphy and his team “do whatever it takes with regard to initial protocols and they have told my team to do the same.”
Lawmakers and business executives have lobbied the little-known federal agency to acknowledge the results of the November 3 election and free up millions of dollars in federal funding, office space and briefings for Biden’s team.
The GSA had said that Murphy, who was appointed to his job by Trump in 2017, would “determine” or formally approve the transition when the winner was clear.
“Contrary to media reports and innuendo, my decision was not made out of fear or favoritism,” Murphy wrote.
Trump has repeatedly falsely claimed that he won the race and has spent weeks offering unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud that have repeatedly failed to gain ground in court.
The Presidential Transition Act of 1963 does not set a firm deadline for the GSA to act, but the agency has historically acted once media organizations call out a winner, which happened on November 7.
Biden will take office on January 20 after winning the election with enough state-by-state electoral votes to ensure the Electoral College victory.
The Democrat leads in the national popular vote by more than 6 million. Trump’s fellow Republicans have slowly parted ways with the president in recent days to urge the transition process to begin.
