President-elect Joe Biden is considering legal action after a Trump appointee failed to sign documents authorizing his transition team to begin work.
Emily Murphy, the administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA), must make an “ascertainment” that Biden won before authorizing millions of dollars and access to government agencies and officials to Biden’s transition team, according to Politico.
Though the media has declared Biden the winner, the GSA claims that “an ascertainment has not yet been made. GSA and its Administrator will continue to abide by, and fulfill, all requirements under the law.”
“It’s historically been a part of our country’s gene pool that even when you lose, you want to help,” a source close to Biden told Politico. “Trump’s attacks may make the transition more difficult than it would have been otherwise, but it’s not that problematic until and unless it becomes a completely unproductive handoff.”
Biden considers legal action:
The Biden team said it may ask a court to facilitate the authorization if the GSA does not sign off.
"We believe that the time has come for the GSA administrator to promptly ascertain Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as president-elect and vice president-elect," a transition official told reporters, according to CBS News. "There are a number of options on the table, legal action is certainly a possibility, but there are other options as well that we're considering."
WH ramps up obstruction:
The White House on Monday instructed top agency officials to block cooperation with Biden’s transition team, according to The Washington Post.
Officials have prepared detailed plans to prepare to hand off the government but were told the Biden’s win should not be recognized until it is confirmed by the GSA.
“We have been told: Ignore the media, wait for it to be official from the government,” an administration official told the outlet.
