|
The
General Services Administration (GSA) normally recognizes a
presidential candidate when it becomes clear who has won an
election so that a transition of power can begin.
That has not yet happened despite U.S. television and news
networks declaring Biden the winner on Saturday after he secured
enough electoral votes to secure the presidency.
The law does not clearly spell out when the GSA must act, but
Biden transition officials say their victory is clear and a
delay is not justified, even as Trump refuses to concede defeat.
Trump has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that there was
widespread voting fraud and has filed a raft 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 succeed.
GSA Administrator Emily Murphy, appointed by Trump in 2017, has
not yet determined that “a winner is clear,” a spokeswoman said.
A source close to Murphy said she was a thorough professional
who would take her time making a careful decision.
A Biden transition official told reporters on a call that it was
time for the GSA's administration to grant what is known as an
ascertainment recognizing the president-elect, and said the
transition team would consider legal action if it was not
granted.
"Legal action is certainly a possibility, but there are other
options as well that we're considering," said the official, who
spoke on condition of anonymity, declining to outline other
options.
The delay is costing the Biden team access to millions of
dollars in federal funding and the ability to meet with
officials at 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.
In addition, the team has no access to the State Department,
which usually 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
while Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore battled
over an election that came down to just hundreds of votes in
Florida.
(Reporting by Simon Lewis and Tim Reid; Additional reporting by
Trevor Hunnicutt and Andrea Shalal; Editing by Kim Coghill and
Peter Cooney)
[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
