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President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team is threatening legal action over the Trump administration’s refusal to formally begin the transition process, as President Trump carried out a post-election purge of agency heads and regulators from the bureaucracy. .
Biden’s team is targeting a federal agency’s delay in recognizing the Democrat’s victory over President Donald Trump in last week’s election.
The General Services Administration (GSA) normally recognizes a presidential candidate when it is clear who won an election so that a transition of power can begin.
But the Trump-nominated official who runs the agencies has refused to assess that the election was decided in favor of Joe Biden, even though television networks called the race for Biden on Saturday. after he got enough electoral votes to secure the presidency.
Ready for legal action: Joe Biden, who arrived at the Queen Theater in Wilmington, Delaware on Tuesday, for a speech later on Obamacare, is prepared to sue over the refusal to begin the transition.
GSA Administrator Emily Murphy, nominated by Trump and confirmed by the Republican Senate, has refused to assess that Joe Biden won the election, prompting the Biden campaign to suggest that he could sue.
The law does not clearly specify when the GSA must act, but Biden’s transition officials say his victory is clear and a delay is not justified, even as Trump refuses to admit defeat.
Trump has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that there was widespread electoral fraud and has filed a series of lawsuits to challenge the results.
Election officials across the country say there has been no evidence of significant fraud, and legal experts say Trump’s efforts are unlikely to be successful.
GSA administrator Emily Murphy, appointed by Trump in 2017, has yet to determine that “a winner is clear,” a spokeswoman said. She has refused to sign a ‘verification’ letter that would trigger the process.
A source close to Murphy said she was a thorough professional who would take her time to make a careful decision.
She has worked for large law firms and served as a senior adviser to Republicans on Congressional committees.
The normally mid-level position has been especially important to Trump. The GSA, known as the nation’s owner, oversees the federal government’s lease on Trump’s Washington DC hotel, as well as the long-standing dispute over whether to relocate the FBI or consolidate the workspace. The FBI is across the street from the hotel.
Trump nominated her in 2017 when both issues were under scrutiny.
A Biden transition official told reporters in a call that it was time for the GSA administration to grant what is known as a verification that recognizes the president-elect, and said the transition team would consider taking legal action if not. it was granted.
“Legal action is certainly a possibility, but there are also other options that we are considering,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, declining to outline other options.
The State Department, headed by Mike Pompeo, has not facilitated calls from foreign leaders with Biden.
The delay is costing Biden’s team access to millions of dollars in federal funding and the ability to meet with officials from intelligence agencies and other departments.
The transition team needs to be recognized to access funds for salaries, consultants and travel, as well as access to classified information, the official said.
Additionally, the team does not have access to the State Department, which generally facilitates calls between foreign leaders and the president-elect, the official said.
A senior administration official said the agency did not approve the start of a formal transition process in 2000 for five weeks as Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore contested an election that was reduced to just hundreds of votes in Florida.
Delaware Senator Chris Coons, a Biden ally, warns that the delay could cause a “chaotic” transition, as he told CNN that Republicans are privately broadcasting their congratulations to Biden without saying so in public.
“ I think my job here is to continue to privately urge them to do the right thing and help the president come to terms with reality and help his caucus get up publicly because frankly the transition will be chaotic at best if no move comes. soon. It should be up and running by now, ” Coons said.
The number of Trump firings has been on the rise since Election Day. Trump ousted Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Monday.
Also Monday, the White House removed Michael Kuperberg, who headed the US Global Change Research Program, and reassigned him.
On Friday, the ax fell on FERC President Neil Chatterjee. He was out exploring carbon taxes. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regulates the transmission of energy.
In the immediate aftermath of the elections, the administration also ousted Lisa Gordon-Hagerty as head of the National Nuclear Security Administration. Bonnie Glick, deputy administrator of the US Agency for International Development, was also expelled.
