“Please know that I have come to my decision independently based on the law and the available facts,” Murphy wrote. “I have never been directly or indirectly pressured by an executive branch official – including those working in the White House or the GSA – about the component or timing of my decision. Although clear, I have not found any direction for the delay. My determination.”
The letter contains Murphy’s formal signature on Biden’s victory, commonly known as the Perfectionary Process. The move would allow the transition to officially begin, allow existing administration agency officials to coordinate with the incoming biden team, and provide millions of government funding for the transition.
The Biden team will now have additional office fee space within agencies and the ability to use federal resources to investigate Biden’s White House staff appointments and background checks on cabinet elections.
Johannes Abraham, Biden’s executive director of the transition, said the start of the transition was a “necessary step in tackling the challenges, including controlling our country’s epidemic and getting our economy back on track.”
“This final decision is a crucial administrative action to formally initiate the transition process with federal agencies,” Abraham said. “In the coming days, transition officials will begin meetings with federal officials to discuss the epidemic response, take full account of our national security interests, and gain a full understanding of the Trump administration’s efforts to dismiss government agencies.”
This is the last sign of a legal bidding by Trump, led by Rudy Giuliani, to block the election result. Trump campaign lawsuits for delaying election credentials have been canceled in many states because their legal team has failed to provide any evidence of widespread voter fraud.
But so far, Murphy has refused to move forward with the determination process, despite Biden’s clear victory. Murphy, Trump’s political appointee, has faced intense scrutiny and political pressure from Democrats and, in recent days, Republicans calling for a smooth transition. In a statement Monday, Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman said “there is no evidence yet of any widespread fraud or malpractice in any state that will change the outcome” and vowed to begin the transition process.
In the letter, Murphy suggested that the assessment rules are vague and should be updated.
The GSA does not order the outcome of legal disputes and recurrences, nor does it determine whether such proceedings are fair or just, he wrote. “These are issues that leave the Constitution, federal laws, and state laws, the election certification process and decisions made by competent jurisdictional courts. Based election process. I strongly urge Congress to consider amending this law. “
Trump tweeted after the report of the letter, thanking Murphy for his work and confirming his decision to begin the transition.
“I thank Emily Murphy at GCA for her dedicated dedication and dedication to her country. She has been tortured, threatened, and abused – and I don’t want to see that happen to her, her family or GSA staff. “Our case is going strong, we will continue to fight well, and I believe we will win!” Trump tweeted. “Nevertheless, in the best interests of our country, I recommend that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to the initial protocol, and have asked my team to do the same.”
Two of Trump’s advisers said people in his orbit were reading the president’s tweet as a necessary relief.
“It’s an attempt to justify the demand for continued funding,” said another adviser.
Federal departments were notified Monday night by the General Services Administration that it had assured Biden of victory in the presidential election, according to an email received by CNN.
“As amended by the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, today, November 23, 2020, the GSA Administrator confirmed to Joseph R. Biden and Senator Kamala Harris the clear successful candidates for the Office of the President and Vice President, respectively,” the Federal Transition Coordinator Contacts were written in an email.
A senior White House official said some employees initially told CNN. Learning from G.S.A. But the official said staff will begin collaborating with the Biden transition team, adding that they want more information on the next steps.
Two weeks after the election was called for Baden, Murphy was quiet as he pulled the fixed delay, increasing public pressure on congressional Democrats and Biden himself, who warned that delays caused by the Covid-19 epidemic could cost lives.
Democrats were demanding a briefing to Murphy to explain his decision on Tuesday, rejecting an earlier GSA proposal Monday for his deputy, a congressional proposal for next week. Democratic committee chairmen sent several new letters to Murphy on Tuesday urging him to allow the transition to begin and warning of the consequences of failing to do so.
The story has been updated with an additional report on Monday.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled Mary Gibert’s name.
CNN’s Jeff Zelany, Jeremy Diamond, Jim Acosta and Arlette Sanz contributed to the report.
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