Joe Biden’s transition team criticizes Pentagon cooperation

President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team expressed frustration Friday with the level of cooperation they are getting from political appointees at the Defense Department, saying there has been “an abrupt halt in the already limited cooperation there.”

Biden’s transition team has been meeting with officials from various agencies to obtain detailed reviews of the programs and challenges the new administration will inherit, a process that was delayed when the General Services Administration refused to issue official verification that Biden had won the election. The delay came when President Donald Trump, whose designee ran the GSA, refused to budge.

Yohannes Abraham, executive director of the transition, told reporters that the Biden agency’s review teams at the DOD learned Thursday that the meetings were “being canceled” and immediately reported it. Abraham called meetings and requests for information resumed immediately.

“Not working together can have consequences well beyond January,” Abraham said.

The Pentagon offered a different assessment on Friday. It issued a statement saying there was a “mutually agreed vacation break”, which begins on Saturday.

Defense officials said some meetings had been postponed so department staff could focus on the problems associated with the possibility of a partial government shutdown Friday night if Congress could not reach an agreement on the government’s legislation. help Covid-19.

Congress passed a two-day interim spending bill on Friday night, avoiding a shutdown. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

“Our key focus in the next two weeks is to support essential information requests” on Operation Warp Speed ​​and Covid-19 to “ensure a seamless transition,” said Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller.

“Let me be clear: there was no mutual agreement on the vacation,” Abraham replied. “In fact, we believe it is important that briefings and other engagements continue during this period as there is no time to waste.”

Miller took office just over five weeks ago, after Trump fired then-Pentagon chief Mark Esper. Miller quickly replaced several of the top political advisers with Trump loyalists who may be less willing or less willing to participate effectively in the transition process.

Miller said the department remains committed to a full and transparent transition and is working to reschedule about 20 interviews with 40 officials until after Jan.1.

He said the department has already conducted 139 interviews and provided 5,300 pages of non-public or classified information.

Abraham made it clear that Biden’s transition team was not satisfied with that decision. Biden becomes president on the afternoon of January 20.

“There have been many agencies and departments that have facilitated information sharing and meetings over the past few weeks,” Abraham said.

“There have been pockets of stubbornness, and the DOD is one of them.”