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The decision by the Trump team to reject a transition deal complicates its commitment to transparency. Although the president-elect’s team has promised to reveal the names of its donors and avoid accepting donations from foreign sources, there is no legal obligation for them to follow through on these pledges.
Written by Simon J. Levien
President-elect Donald J. Trump’s team has declined to sign a transition agreement with the General Services Administration. This decision means that while the team has promised to uphold certain transparency traditions during the presidential handover, they are not legally obligated to fulfill those promises.
When a new president is about to take office, there are laws and norms in place to ensure a smooth transition. These rules allow the current administration to share important information with the incoming officials and provide funding for the transition process. In the case of Mr. Trump, his transition team decided not to accept $7.2 million in government funds from the G.S.A. They have promised to be transparent by revealing the names of their donors and have stated they will not accept money from foreign sources. Additionally, they have agreed to abide by an ethics pledge, although there are concerns that this pledge may not fully comply with the rules for transitions.
The team in charge of Mr. Trump’s transition announced that they have chosen to rely on private funding, stating that this decision will help save money for taxpayers.
The Trump administration did not specify when the names of donors would be revealed, or if the donation amounts would be disclosed as well. If the G.S.A. assistance was accepted, donors would have to be identified within 30 days of the inauguration on January 20th. Previous presidential transitions have restricted individual donations to $5,000, a limit that the Trump team has not agreed to. The G.S.A. would have also offered secure communication channels and office space for internal meetings.
Despite missing the initial deadline on October 1st, Mr. Trump’s team recently reached an agreement with the White House to start formal briefings conducted by departing administration officials. However, Mr. Trump still has not signed an agreement with the Justice Department, preventing the F.B.I. from conducting security checks on transition staff. This lack of clearances is hindering Biden administration officials from sharing classified information with a significant portion of the transition team.
This week, the team working for Mr. Trump released a plan outlining ethical guidelines for their transition staff. Even though President Biden’s team agreed to the plan in their agreement with Mr. Trump, it could potentially violate the Presidential Transition Act. This act requires that these plans specifically address how the president-elect will handle any conflicts of interest. However, Mr. Trump’s plan does not seem to fulfill this requirement.
Spokespeople for both the Trump transition team and the White House did not respond right away to requests for comment.
Susie Wiles, who will be serving as Mr. Trump’s chief of staff, announced in a statement on Tuesday that the engagement has been approved. This will allow the cabinet nominees to start making necessary arrangements, such as sending out landing teams to various departments and agencies, and ensuring a smooth transition of power.
In preparation for becoming president in 2016, Mr. Trump signed an agreement with the General Services Administration (G.S.A). By the time of his inauguration, the transition team had approximately 120 employees and had revealed that they had raised $6.5 million in funds, along with receiving $2.4 million in reimbursements from the federal government.
Ken Bensinger provided information for this report.
Simon J. Levien is a journalist at The Times who is currently reporting on the 2024 elections. He is also part of the 2024-25 Times Fellowship program, designed for young journalists starting out in their careers. To learn more about Simon J. Levien, visit his profile on The Times
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