Published 20:31 IST, November 21st 2020
Trump administration has done 'statutory preparations' for transition: White House
Trump administration informed lawmakers that the White House’s new chief of staff Mark Meadows had already started to do planning to meet legal deadlines.
On November 20, the White House indicated that it has made “statutory preparations” for the smooth transition of power to the democratic administration as the Trump administration waits for the declaration of the official winner for Nov. 03 elections. According to the sources of PTI, the White House ascertained that the constitutional process for the same was underway. The announcement comes as the Trump administration informed lawmakers that the White House’s new chief of staff Mark Meadows had already started to do planning in order to comply with legal deadlines to ensure the power was transferred in the executive branch, NBC news agency confirmed.
In an official statement, the White House Transition Project, a non-partisan organization called on the US Administrator of the General Services to begin the “peaceful transfer of democratic power.” The wing that has delivered democratic transitions for “regularized, statute driven transfers of power” over the years since 1997, asked lawmakers to ascertain that Joe Biden is the “apparent President-elect.”
The project that assists the US Transition Coordinating Council and the incoming White House staff said, “It is time now to contribute to the peaceful transfer of power that has been a hallmark of American politics since its founding, rather than continuing to add to the chaos engulfing the government and weakening our standing among the nations of the world.” The project’s statement comes as former North Carolina congressman Meadows was appointed as the chair of the White House Transition Coordinating Council and Chris Liddell, deputy chief of staff for policy coordination, was given the position of vice-chair to uphold those duties.
There’s 'ongoing litigation'
However, in a press conference on November 20, the first after the elections, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany refused to acknowledge the Trump administration’s possible future defeat, saying there’s “ongoing litigation”, reiterating claims of unsubstantiated voter fraud. When asked by a reporter at what point does the President concede the race, McEnany responded that the Trump campaign is pursuing 234 pages of affidavits. “This was a system that had never been tried in American history: mass mail-out voting, fraud,” she added, “so those claims deserve to be pursued.”
Updated 20:31 IST, November 21st 2020