President Trump permits GSA to begin transition process

WASHINGTON: On Monday, the Administrator of the General Services Administration authorized President-elect Joe Biden to begin a formal transition process, a strong indication that the president’s last-ditch efforts to overturn the results of the election were finally coming to an end.

While President Trump has yet to concede, vowing to persist with his efforts to overturn the allegedly 'fraudulent' election, he commended Emily W. Murphy, Administrator of the General Services Administration for her "steadfast dedication and loyalty", but agreed to allow a transition process to proceed. In a tweet on Monday, President Trump stated that he has informed officials to begin "initial protocols" pertaining to handing over the government to the President-elect, adding that it was “in the best interest of our country".

While the President attempted to downplay the significance of the formal transition process, continuing to persist with his legal efforts in the key battleground states, his failure to allow the President-elect to begin his integration into the White House, even going so far as depriving him of essential intelligence briefings, was widely criticised as a petulant step.

By Monday evening, President-elect Biden moved forward with his plans to finalise his cabinet, with Ms. Murphy stating that she made her decision because of “recent developments involving legal challenges and certifications of election results”, referring to the certification of votes by election officials in Michigan, and a string of decision that went against the President's favour in key battleground states.

Yohannes Abraham, the executive director of Mr. Biden’s transition, stated that Ms. Murphy’s decision was “a needed step to begin tackling the challenges facing our nation", as the President-elect has already been formulating an strategies to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

Abraham added that the President-elect would soon begin meeting with officials from the Trump Administration, "to discuss the pandemic response, have a full accounting of our national security interests, and gain complete understanding of the Trump administration’s efforts to hollow out government agencies".