Trump-appointed GSA administrator refusing to work with Biden transition team

[Anonymous]

RELAX and please do not make this into a big deal, because it's not.

Trump administration officials are waiting for the formal government tally and announcement. Nothing forces an administration to help the transition team early, even though obviously it's best for government competency, and obviously it's good optics.

But even if the Trumpers are so idiotic as to refuse the Biden Transition any access at all, it will still be fine! He knows the ropes. It will mean a certain delay, but there will not be a vacuum or any catastrophe in governance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Biden can get reimbursed later but aside from access to funds it does help Trump's narrative with his base that the election is not over.

Biden is supposed to be able to embed people in agencies and to start the background checks. That cannot happen until the GSA signs off. This is a problem.

This is why republicans votes for Biden. This makes no sense. Just careless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:RELAX and please do not make this into a big deal, because it's not.

Trump administration officials are waiting for the formal government tally and announcement. Nothing forces an administration to help the transition team early, even though obviously it's best for government competency, and obviously it's good optics.

But even if the Trumpers are so idiotic as to refuse the Biden Transition any access at all, it will still be fine! He knows the ropes. It will mean a certain delay, but there will not be a vacuum or any catastrophe in governance.

That is why all of the world breathed a sigh of relief when he won.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Biden can get reimbursed later but aside from access to funds it does help Trump's narrative with his base that the election is not over.

Biden is supposed to be able to embed people in agencies and to start the background checks. That cannot happen until the GSA signs off. This is a problem.

This is why republicans votes for Biden. This makes no sense. Just careless.

Exactly. A vote for Biden is a vote for competence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Same thing happened during Bush v. Gore in 2000.

Except, then only Florida was in questions, and now there is no questions and Mi, Wi, AZ, NV, PA, GA all flipped.
Are you going to sue all the states?

Somebody better clue in Trump. The Florida recount also attracted the top shelf of GOP lawyers. This one, not so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When are the states required to officially announce the winners? Don't they have election commissions, a process?

There is a process, but the final certification of the electoral college vote doesn’t happen until around January 3. If Biden has to wait that long to fully launch his transition, we will lose valuable time for addressing the pandemic (plus the economy and other pressing issues).

Actually, states need to resolve the election counts and court cases and legal challenges by December 8. That is when the totals need to be finalized and the latest date when the GSA administrator can accept the result and move forward.

December 8 is when the state election boards need to certify their election counts and report to the state legislature. The state legislatures would then compile their slate of electors (usually those are completed before the elections are certified) and submit to the governor for signature. December 14, the electors report to the state capitols and actually cast their votes. The electoral votes need to be sent to Congress by December 23. January 3 is when the 117th Congress will be seated. January 6 is when the new Congress will count the state votes.

But essentially the GSA administrator has a deadline of December 8 when all court and legal challenges need to be resolved and election results delivered to state capitols.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Biden can get reimbursed later but aside from access to funds it does help Trump's narrative with his base that the election is not over.

Biden is supposed to be able to embed people in agencies and to start the background checks. That cannot happen until the GSA signs off. This is a problem.

This is why republicans votes for Biden. This makes no sense. Just careless.

A large chunk of the Republican voting base wants government to be hamstrung as much as possible. This is very much part of the gameplan.

[Anonymous]

And waiting the month between now and then serves no purpose but to hamper the security of the country. Ergo, treasonous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:RELAX and please do not make this into a big deal, because it's not.

Trump administration officials are waiting for the formal government tally and announcement. Nothing forces an administration to help the transition team early, even though obviously it's best for government competency, and obviously it's good optics.

But even if the Trumpers are so idiotic as to refuse the Biden Transition any access at all, it will still be fine! He knows the ropes. It will mean a certain delay, but there will not be a vacuum or any catastrophe in governance.

It is actually a big deal.

It takes a long time to transition to a new administration, and none of that work can happen before GSA officially certifies the election and begins the transition.

It’s not just about Biden; it’s also about his aides, many of whom will not have worked in the White House before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And waiting the month between now and then serves no purpose but to hamper the security of the country. Ergo, treasonous.

Exactly.

There are actually national security analysts who believe that the lack of time the Bush Administration had to transition in from the Clinton Administration (due to the Florida debacle) was potentially a factor in 9/11 happening. They weren’t able to hit the ground running.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It will be very interesting to see how this plays out.

She either send the letter or she goes to jail. She is in contempt of congress for doing her job.

Gonna be the outlier - hate Trump and because of him I'm never GOP, but has PA even finished counting? I don't think they have. I agree that Trump is dragging this out, but at this point it really has been called by the media. And while I think that result will absolutely hold I don't think GSA is in the wrong here. Once every state's count is in (regardless of recounts), then I think you have an issue. I can't really blame a Trump appointee for doing Trump's bidding even if she does suck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It will be very interesting to see how this plays out.

She either send the letter or she goes to jail. She is in contempt of congress for doing her job.

Gonna be the outlier - hate Trump and because of him I'm never GOP, but has PA even finished counting? I don't think they have. I agree that Trump is dragging this out, but at this point it really has been called by the media. And while I think that result will absolutely hold I don't think GSA is in the wrong here. Once every state's count is in (regardless of recounts), then I think you have an issue. I can't really blame a Trump appointee for doing Trump's bidding even if she does suck.

Yes, they have.

This is how it always works. The projections happen when there is 99.5% certainty.

Why should this year be different?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When are the states required to officially announce the winners? Don't they have election commissions, a process?

There is a process, but the final certification of the electoral college vote doesn’t happen until around January 3. If Biden has to wait that long to fully launch his transition, we will lose valuable time for addressing the pandemic (plus the economy and other pressing issues).

Actually, states need to resolve the election counts and court cases and legal challenges by December 8. That is when the totals need to be finalized and the latest date when the GSA administrator can accept the result and move forward.

December 8 is when the state election boards need to certify their election counts and report to the state legislature. The state legislatures would then compile their slate of electors (usually those are completed before the elections are certified) and submit to the governor for signature. December 14, the electors report to the state capitols and actually cast their votes. The electoral votes need to be sent to Congress by December 23. January 3 is when the 117th Congress will be seated. January 6 is when the new Congress will count the state votes.

But essentially the GSA administrator has a deadline of December 8 when all court and legal challenges need to be resolved and election results delivered to state capitols.

I am well aware of all of the full timeline. With Republicans raising the prospect of faithless electors, though, that will give the GSA administrator over to delay until January.

I really hope she won’t do that, but I have no confidence anymore. I went to law school with her and never would have thought of her as someone who would play Trump’s game for even this long, so I don’t know what to think of her anymore.

[Anonymous]

I am well aware of all of the full timeline. With Republicans raising the prospect of faithless electors, though, that will give the GSA administrator over to delay until January.

I really hope she won’t do that, but I have no confidence anymore. I went to law school with her and never would have thought of her as someone who would play Trump’s game for even this long, so I don’t know what to think of her anymore.

Fellow American, could you please email your old classmate and ask her to sign the papers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I am well aware of all of the full timeline. With Republicans raising the prospect of faithless electors, though, that will give the GSA administrator over to delay until January.

I really hope she won’t do that, but I have no confidence anymore. I went to law school with her and never would have thought of her as someone who would play Trump’s game for even this long, so I don’t know what to think of her anymore.

Fellow American, could you please email your old classmate and ask her to sign the papers?

the smith college network is trying!!!