Donald Trump reluctantly clears the way for the handover of the US presidency to Joe Biden

Donald Trump has formally started the transition process to Joe Biden.

The General Services Administration has determined that President-elect Joe Biden is the “apparent winner.”

The Director of the General Services Administration, Emily Murphy, informed Biden in a letter Tuesday (NZT) that she was providing him access to administrative resources under the Presidential Transition Act.

“I take this role seriously and, due to recent developments involving legal challenges and certifications of election results, I am transmitting this letter today so that those resources and services are available to you,” Murphy said.

The president confirmed the move on Twitter, although he insisted his efforts to overturn the election results would be successful.

Murphy made the decision after Trump’s efforts to subvert the vote failed in battle states, citing “recent developments involving legal challenges and certifications of election results.”

Michigan certified Biden’s victory on Monday, and a federal judge in Pennsylvania on Saturday dismissed a Trump campaign lawsuit that sought to avoid certification in that state.

Yohannes Abraham, executive director of Biden’s transition, said in a statement that the decision “is a necessary step to begin addressing the challenges facing our nation, including controlling the pandemic and recovering our economy.”

He added: “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 government agencies “.

Murphy, Trump’s appointee, had faced bipartisan criticism for not beginning the transition process earlier, which prevented Biden’s team from working with career agency officials on plans for his administration, even in critical areas of national security. and public health.

“Please know that I made my decision independently, based on the law and available facts. No Executive Branch official pressured me directly or indirectly, including those working in the White House or the GSA, regarding the substance or timing of my decision, “Murphy wrote in a letter to Biden.

Trump tweeted shortly after his letter was released: “We will continue the good fight and I believe that we will prevail! However, in the best interest of our country, I recommend that Emily and her team do whatever is necessary regarding protocols. initials, and I’ve told my team to do the same. “

The pressure had mounted on Murphy as a growing number of Republicans, national security experts and business leaders said it was time for that process to move forward.

Retired Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander, who has repeatedly called for the transition to begin, issued a new statement on Monday (New Zealand time today) saying Trump should “put the country first” and help the Biden administration to succeed.

“When you’re in public life, people remember the last thing you did,” Alexander said.

Republican Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio called Monday for Murphy to hand over the money and staff needed for the transition. Portman, a senior member of the Senate Committee on Government Affairs and National Security, also said that Biden should receive high-level briefings on national security and the coronavirus vaccine distribution plan.

Alexander and Portman, who have sided with Trump, joined a growing number of Republican officials who in recent days have urged Trump to begin the transition immediately. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, RW.Va., also urged a smooth transition, saying in a statement Monday that “at some point, the 2020 election must end.”

Meanwhile, more than 160 business leaders asked Murphy to immediately recognize Biden as president-elect and begin the transition to a new administration. “Withholding vital information and resources from an incoming administration puts America’s public and economic health and security at risk,” the business letters read in an open letter to Murphy.

Separately, more than 100 former Republican national security officials, including former Director of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, former CIA Director Michael Hayden and former Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte, said in a statement that Trump’s refusal to concede and allow an orderly transition “constitutes a serious threat” to the democratic process in the United States. The officials who signed the letter worked with four Republican presidents, including Trump.

The statement called on “Republican leaders, especially those in Congress, to publicly demand that President Trump cease his undemocratic attack on the integrity of the presidential election.”

Trump had publicly refused to accept defeat and launched a series of losing court battles across the country making unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud and seeking to overturn the election results.

Murphy missed the deadline set Monday by House Democrats to inform lawmakers about the delay in starting the transition, which is usually a routine step between the election and the inauguration. A spokeswoman for the GSA said a deputy administrator would hold two separate briefings for the House and Senate committees on November 30.

In response, Democratic chairpersons of four committees and subcommittees said they could reschedule the meeting for Tuesday, but no later.

“We cannot wait another week to get basic information on his refusal to make the verification determination,” Democrats said in a letter to Murphy.

“Each additional day that is wasted is a day when the safety, health, and well-being of the American people are in jeopardy, as the incoming Biden-Harris administration cannot fully prepare for the coronavirus pandemic, the severe economic crisis. of our nation, and our national security. “

Portman said it was “only prudent” for GSA to begin the transition process immediately.

“Donald Trump is our president until January 20, 2021, but in the likely event that Joe Biden becomes our next president, it is in the national interest that the transition is seamless and that the United States is ready on the first day of a new administration for the challenges we face, “Portman wrote in an op-ed calling for the transition to begin.

Murphy’s verification will free up transition money and clear the way for Biden’s team to begin placing transition personnel in federal agencies. Trump administration officials had said they would not give Biden the presidential daily classified information on intelligence matters until the GSA makes the verification official.

“Now that GSA Administrator Emily Murphy has done her duty and verified the election results, the formal presidential transition can begin in full force,” said Max Stier, president and CEO of the Nonprofit Public Service Association. partisan.

“Unfortunately, each day lost to the verification delay was a missed opportunity for the outgoing administration to help President-elect Joe Biden prepare to face our country’s greatest challenges. The good news is that President-elect and his team are the most prepared and better equipped than any incoming administration in recent memory. “

Among those who signed the letter from business leaders were Jon Gray, president of private equity firm Blackstone, Robert Bakish, president and CEO of ViacomCBS, Henry Kravis, the co-CEO of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co, another giant of private equity, David Solomon, CEO of Goldman Sachs, and George H. Walker, CEO of the investment firm Neuberger Berman and second cousin of former President George W. Bush.

– Associated Press