Top Democrat sounds alarm over Trump transition plan delay
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Former President Trump participates in a town hall at the Crown Center Arena Oct. 4 in Fayetteville, N.C. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, raised concern Wednesday over former President Trump's delay in entering into agreements with the Biden administration over the presidential transition process.
Why it matters: The Trump transition team's handling of the process is unorthodox compared to past candidates and underscores the GOP nominee's distrust of the Biden administration and tendency to shirk democratic tradition.
Driving the news: In a letter sent to Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), and first reported by NBC News, Raskin said the Trump team is "breaking the precedent set by every other presidential candidate since 2010" by not agreeing to accept federal transition resources and "refused to commit to a smooth transition."
- The Maryland Democrat said the Trump team's actions demonstrated "a spectacular disregard for the successful continuation of the essential institutions of American democratic government."
- Two deadlines on agreements — one with the General Services Administration and another with the White House — have passed. Vice President Kamala Harris' team has signed these agreements, known as memoranda of understanding.
Zoom in: The first agreement, which had a signing deadline of Sept. 1, outlines the terms for space and services, such as office areas, IT services and other equipment for a candidate's transition teams, per a GSA spokesperson.
- The White House MOU, which was due Oct. 1, covers access for the candidates' transition staff to federal agency facilities, documents and employees after post-election transition has begun.
- It also mandates the candidate will implement an ethics plan to guide their transition, which Harris has provided as instructed in the Presidential Transition Act.
Between the lines: When a candidate signs their MOU with the GSA and accepts their services, transition teams must disclose private donations for their transition efforts, and a $5,000 cap is imposed on transition-related donations.
- Raskin suggested in his letter those restrictions may be motivation for the Trump team's failure to reach an agreement to this point, writing, "It appears your decision may be at least partially driven by your intent to circumvent fundraising rules."
Context: Valerie Smith Boyd, the director of the Partnership for Public Service's Center for Presidential Transition, warned that the transition period is "such an important time" for new presidential administrations to gear up to take the reins of power and that "any confusion or delay in that relationship creates concern."
- "The federal government is so large and so complex. Vetting thousands or hundreds of thousands of potential applicants ... is a mammoth task," Boyd said.
Catch up quick: While presidential transitions have generally been prosaic and uneventful processes, they have become increasingly politicized since the 2020 election.
- The GSA under Trump waited weeks after the election was called for Biden before allowing him to formally begin the transition process, a procedure known as "ascertainment."
- Biden warned at the time that the delay in ascertainment would hamper national security and the response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Flashback: Trump also declined to receive intelligence briefings offered to presidential nominees, telling the Daily Mail in August he did not want to be accused of leaking information.
State of play: The Trump transition team's co-chairs Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon said in a statement to the New York Times earlier this month lawyers are continuing to "constructively engage" with the administration on the MOUs.
Go deeper: Behind the Curtain: Trump's dream regime
