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President-elect Joe Biden speaks as he addresses the media Nov. 19 in Wilmington, Del.
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Emily Murphy, director of the General Services Administration, informed President-elect Joe Biden late Monday that she was ready to begin the formal transition process, the first move by the Trump administration acknowledging Biden’s election victory.
Murphy, a Trump appointee, had come under intense criticism by many for refusing to cooperate with the incoming Biden administration, weeks after it became apparent that Biden was the winner of the presidential election.
In a letter to Biden that was obtained by CNN, Murphy said she had not been pressured by Trump to delay the transition, and that she had been awaiting the results of legal challenges by the Trump campaign.
“To be clear, I did not receive any direction to delay my determination,” Murphy said in the letter. “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.”
“Because of recent developments involving legal challenges and certifications of election results, I have determined that you may access the post-election resources and services … upon request,” she wrote.
See: Michigan certifies Biden victory as Trump’s legal team suffers further losses
The move will allow Biden and his team to coordinate their pandemic response with current administration officials, and be briefed on prospective vaccine efforts. Last week, Biden warned “more people may die if we don’t coordinate” on the pandemic response.
“Today’s decision is a needed step to begin tackling the challenges facing our nation, including getting the pandemic under control and our economy back on track,” Yohannes Abraham, executive director of the Biden-Harris transition, said in a statement. “This final decision is a definitive administrative action to formally begin the transition process with federal agencies.
“In the days ahead, transition officials will begin meeting with federal officials 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,” Abraham said.
Shortly after Murphy’s letter was made public, President Donald Trump thanked her for her “dedication and loyalty,” and recommended the transition process begin “in the best interest of our country,” though he still refused to concede.
Earlier Monday, top congressional Democrats accused Murphy of undermining national security by refusing to certify Biden as the winner, and denying him federal transition funds and intelligence briefings.
