CNN
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Former President Donald Trump and his team have yet to take any significant steps to prepare for a possible presidential transition if Trump wins the White House. With just 13 days until Election Day, bipartisan experts and Democrats are sounding the alarm.
Trump’s team has missed two key transition deadlines and broken precedent in ways that could ultimately pose challenges to a peaceful transfer of power.
By September 1, the Trump and Harris campaigns were expected to sign a memorandum of understanding with the General Services Administration granting them access to office space, communications, equipment, and IT support. The campaign is also expected to submit ethics plans and identify the first people who will need security clearances to begin receiving classified information during the transition.
By October 1, both sides were expected to sign separate memorandums of understanding with the White House detailing conditions for access to government agencies, including personnel, facilities, and documents.
As of Wednesday, Mr. Trump’s team had failed to sign a memorandum of understanding or submit an ethics plan, while Ms. Harris’ team had completed those tasks.
Max Stier, president of the nonprofit, nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service, warned that inadequate transition planning could leave the country unable to address the threat from the first day of a potential second term in office. .
“If, in fact, former President Trump is re-elected, this poses a significant challenge to his ability to do the essential preparatory work to be ready to take the baton without dropping it,” Steyer told CNN.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, wrote Wednesday in a new letter to President Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, that they It warned that the actions “deviated from established practice”. It disregards the norms of the federal government and shows a spectacular disregard for the successful continuation of an important institution of American democratic government. ”
Raskin said that without a memorandum of understanding in place, the transfer of power could be at risk and “threaten our national security.”
That has been a problem in the past as well. In 2000, when the Florida recount and Supreme Court battle unfolded, neither George W. This was a factor revealed in the report. Factors behind the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Without these memorandums signed, the outgoing Biden team will not be able to brief or share information with the incoming Trump team.
“This is a critical time for the next president, whoever he is, to meet with federal agencies, understand the issues they face, and begin to build trust and collaboration with the people there. “That may be my biggest concern, but I think that’s what you all want. We need to make sure we have a smooth process of information sharing that benefits everyone.” said Valerie Boyd, director of the Center for Presidential Transitions.
Steer added: “Not having a memorandum of understanding means we’re not aligning essential government resources to be ready. And that’s a problem, a big problem.”
