After months of delays, President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team has signed paperwork to begin the official transition process with the Biden administration. But Trump’s team has declined to sign two other agreements: one to provide logistical support, including federal funding, and another to allow the FBI to process security clearances for transition officials.
Under federal law, major party nominees are expected to sign both agreements before the election to facilitate a smooth transition of power. Kamala Harris’ team did this within deadlines. But Trump had delayed doing so until this week, raising concerns among White House officials and lawmakers.
Trump’s transition team said in a statement Tuesday that it has signed a transition agreement with the Biden White House, allowing both sides to make arrangements for the transfer of federal agencies to the new administration. But it has declined to sign an agreement with the General Services Administration that would provide it with federal funding, office space and cybersecurity support. It also includes an ethical commitment. Trump’s team said it would instead stick to its own ethics plan and raise money for the transition itself.
As The Washington Post reported, “By turning down about $7 million in federal funding for the transition, Trump will be able to raise unlimited private donations for his transition.” Trump’s new chief of staff, Susie Wiles, said the team would not accept contributions from foreign donors and would make the donors public.
Trump’s team has also refused to sign an agreement with the Justice Department that would allow the FBI to conduct security clearances for transition officials, preventing Biden officials from sharing classified information with many members of Trump’s team.
The team’s sidestepping of the typical transition process is consistent with Trump’s disregard for political norms and has raised alarm among some Democrats. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said it “increases concerns about corruption.”
“This announcement fails to answer important questions about threats to national security and the FBI’s vetting of nominees, and heightens concerns about corruption,” Warren said. “There appear to be serious gaps between the ethics agreement of the Trump transition and the letter of the law.”
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
