Trump Vows to Win Reelection After GSA Makes Transition Resources Available to Biden

Trump Vows to Win Reelection After GSA Makes Transition Resources Available to Biden
President Donald Trump speaks at the White House in Washington on Nov. 5, 2020. Evan Vucci, File/AP Photo
Allen Zhong
Updated:

President Donald Trump said on Monday that he will win the 2020 presidential election after the General Services Administration (GSA) indicated that it has made transition resources available for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.

“Our case STRONGLY continues, we will keep up the good fight, and I believe we will prevail!” he wrote in a Twitter post.

Trump’s announcement follows a letter that GSA Administrator Emily Murphy sent to Biden (pdf), where she notified the former vice president that some transition resources, including $6,300,000 for the Biden transition team to carry out the provisions of Section 3 of the Presidential Transition Act and another $1,000,000 for the Biden team to provide appointee orientation sessions and a transition directory, are now made available for him and his team.

To qualify for the appropriations, the Biden team must meet the reporting requirements outlined in Section 6 of the Presidential Transition Act.

In her letter, Murphy explicitly stated that the presidency has not been decided.

“GSA does not dictate the outcome of legal disputes and recounts, nor does it determine whether such proceedings are reasonable or justified,” she wrote. “The actual winner of the presidential election will be determined by the electoral process detailed in the Constitution.”

General Services Administration Administrator Emily Murphy speaks during a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Washington on June 21, 2019. (Susan Walsh/AP Photo)
General Services Administration Administrator Emily Murphy speaks during a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Washington on June 21, 2019. Susan Walsh/AP Photo

The current situation is unaddressed by the Presidential Transition Act and Congress should amend the act, she strongly suggested.

Murphy said she made the decision independently amid a huge amount of threats.

“I did, however, receive threats online, by phone, and by mail directed at my safety, my family, my staff, and even my pets in an effort to coerce me into making this determination prematurely. Even in the face of thousands of threats, I always remained committed to upholding the law,” read the letter.

Trump praised Murphy for her steadfast dedication and loyalty to the country.

“I want to thank Emily Murphy at GSA for her steadfast dedication and loyalty to our Country,” the president wrote. “She has been harassed, threatened, and abused—and I do not want to see this happen to her, her family, or employees of GSA.”

The president took to social media again late Monday, writing: “What does GSA being allowed to preliminarily work with the Dems have to do with continuing to pursue our various cases on what will go down as the most corrupt election in American political history? We are moving full speed ahead. Will never concede to fake ballots & ‘Dominion.’”

Yohannes Abraham, Biden’s transition executive director, said in a statement that Murphy “has ascertained President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as the apparent winners of the election, providing the incoming Administration with the resources and support necessary to carry out a smooth and peaceful transfer of power.”

“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,” he added.

GSA to Brief Congress

The GSA confirmed to The Epoch Times earlier on Monday that it would soon brief some members of Congress on the presidential transition.

Allison Brigati, a deputy administrator at the GSA, will spend 30 minutes on Nov. 30 to brief House Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), and two subcommittee chairmen Reps. Gerald Connolly (D-Va.) and Mike Quigley (D-Ill.).

The top Republicans on each committee and subcommittee will also be at the briefing. They are Reps. James Comer (R-Ky.), Kay Granger (R-Texas), Jody Hice (R-Ga.), and Steve Womack (R-Ark.).

The GSA is also expected to host on Nov. 30 an in-person briefing for staff members on the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, a GSA spokesperson told The Epoch Times.

Staffers for the House Appropriations and Oversight committees are invited to the Senate staff briefing.

The GSA, which oversees presidential transitions, has been thrown into the national spotlight after Biden declared victory in the 2020 election. Trump has alleged voter fraud and said any declarations of victory are premature. His campaign has mounted legal challenges over a variety of alleged voting irregularities in battleground states.

While a number of media outlets have declared Biden as president-elect, The Epoch Times won’t declare a winner of the 2020 presidential election until all results are certified and any legal challenges are resolved.
Zachary Stieber and Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
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