NEWSDonald Trump Finally Lets Joe Biden's Transition Begin — But Will 'Never Concede'
Almost three weeks after the election, President Donald Trump has finally allowed President-Elect Joe Biden's transition to begin — but still hasn’t accepted his defeat just yet.
The President tweeted on Monday, November 23, that he was "moving full speed ahead" and would "never concede."
On Tuesday, November 24, Trump shared an article from Breitbart and said that "79 Percent of Trump Voters Believe 'Election Was Stolen.'"
"They are 100% correct, but we are fighting hard. Our big lawsuit, which spells out in great detail all of the ballot fraud and more, will soon be filled. RIGGED ELECTION!" he added.
On Monday, the General Services Administration informed Biden they were ready to begin the transition — this means that Biden will have access to daily security briefings and can now communicate with the COVID-19 task force.
The same day, GSA Chief Emily Murphy wrote that Biden — the "apparent President-Elect" — can now have access to federal resources.
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"I take this role seriously and, because of recent developments involving legal challenges and certifications of election results, am transmitting this letter today to make those resources and services available to you," Murphy wrote.
However, Murphy was heavily criticized for her delay in penning the letter. Democrats had put pressure on her as Biden could not access the federal funds designated for the transition, while House Democrats sent her a letter last week to demand an in-person briefing on Monday, which she tried to delay until next week. The House Democrats then sent another letter on Monday evening demanding a Tuesday briefing before Murphy released her note to Biden.
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Senator Rob Portman released a statement on Monday, November 23, and said, "There is no evidence as of now of any widespread fraud or irregularities that would change the result in any state." Meanwhile, the Republican senator of Ohio asked for the transition process to begin. Others including Office of Government Ethics Walter Shaub and Virginia Representative Don Beyer also criticized the delay before the letter was released.
Despite the fact that she was appointed by Trump, Murphy said that she "was never directly or indirectly pressured by any Executive Branch official — including those who work at the White House or GSA — with regard to the substance or timing of my decision," adding she did receive threats online.
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Trump took to Twitter to praise Murphy. "She has been harassed, threatened, and abused — and I do not want to see this happen to her, her family, or employees of GSA. Our case STRONGLY continues, we will keep up the good… fight, and I believe we will prevail! Nevertheless, in the best interest of our Country, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same," he wrote.
"Today's decision is a needed step to begin tackling the challenges facing our nation," a statement from Biden-Harris Transition Executive Director Yohannes Abraham read. The note ended with a shocking statement of a pledge to "gain complete understanding of the Trump administration's efforts to hollow out government agencies."
This came after Michigan clarified that Biden won the state and Pennsylvania ruled that their 20 electoral votes are still for Biden. While Georgia is still certifying its 16 electoral votes, a recount confirmed his win. Biden has gone ahead and announced his national security officials and changed his website url from buildbackbetter.com to buildbackbetter.gov.
Meanwhile, people in Trump’s camp have been quiet about the transition, but Melania Trump did welcome the Christmas tree to the White House on November 23.
