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(CNN) – The General Services Administration informed U.S. President-elect Joe Biden that the Trump administration is ready to begin the formal transition process, according to a letter from Administrator Emily Murphy sent Monday afternoon and obtained by CNN.
The letter is the first step the administration has taken to acknowledge the defeat of President Donald Trump, more than two weeks after Biden was declared the winner in the election.
Murphy said the White House had not pressured her to delay the formal transition and did not make a decision “out of fear or favoritism.”
“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 indicates that Murphy has formally signed off 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 Biden’s incoming team and providing millions in government funding for the transition.
The move toward verification comes after Michigan formally certified its election results on Monday and Georgia certified its slim presidential results on Friday. Pennsylvania is also close to certifying its election results.
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 ahead with the verification process, despite Biden’s clear victory, which prevented the president-elect’s team from speaking to federal agencies. Murphy, a Trump political appointee, has faced intense scrutiny and political pressure from Democrats and, in recent days, Republicans calling for a smooth transition to begin. 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.
“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 to the decisions of the courts of competent jurisdiction. I do not think 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 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 it takes regarding the initial protocols, and I have told my team to do the same.”
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
This story was first published on CNN.com, “First on CNN: GSA Tells Biden Transition May Formally Begin.”
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