Transition of power
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The decision by the Trump administration to reject a transition deal complicates their promises of transparency. Despite stating they would reveal the names of donors and refuse donations from foreigners, they are not obligated by law to follow through on these commitments.
Authored by Simon J. Levien
President-elect Donald J. Trump’s team has chosen not to sign a transition agreement with the General Services Administration. This decision means that, even though the team has promised to adhere to various transparency traditions during presidential transitions, they are not obligated by law to fulfill those promises.
During presidential transitions, there are laws and norms in place that allow the current administration to share private information with incoming officials and provide funding for the transition process. In the case of Mr. Trump’s transition team, they chose not to accept the $7.2 million in government funds that the G.S.A. offered. Instead, they have committed to transparency by revealing their donors and refusing contributions from foreign sources. Additionally, they have agreed to an ethics pledge with the White House, although there are concerns that this pledge may not align with transition regulations.
The team in charge of Mr. Trump’s transition announced that they have chosen to rely on private funding in order to save money for the taxpayers.
The Trump administration has not specified when the names of donors will be revealed, or if the donation amounts will be made public. If Trump’s team accepts assistance from the G.S.A., donor information would need to be disclosed within 30 days of the inauguration on January 20th. Previous presidential transitions have restricted individual donations to $5,000, a limit that Trump’s team has not agreed to adhere to. The G.S.A. would have also offered secure communication channels and office space for internal meetings.
Mr. Trump’s team missed the Oct. 1 deadline but has now signed an agreement with the White House for formal briefings from departing administration members. However, Mr. Trump has still not agreed to let the Justice Department conduct security checks for transition staff, preventing Biden administration officials from sharing classified information with many transition team members.
This week, the team of Mr. Trump released a ethics plan for the staff involved in the transition process. While President Biden’s team agreed to the plan in their agreement with Mr. Trump, it may not fully comply with the requirements of the Presidential Transition Act. This Act requires plans to outline how the president-elect will handle any conflicts of interest they may have, which Mr. Trump’s plan seems to lack.
Spokespeople for both the Trump transition team and the White House were unavailable for comment when requested.
Susie Wiles, who will be serving as Mr. Trump’s chief of staff, stated on Tuesday that this agreement will enable their chosen cabinet nominees to start important preparations, such as sending teams to each department and agency, in order to ensure a smooth transition of power.
When transitioning into the presidency in 2016, Mr. Trump signed an agreement with the General Services Administration (G.S.A). By the time of his inauguration, his transition team had approximately 120 employees and had reported raising $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 political reporter for The Times who is currently reporting on the 2024 elections. He is also part of the 2024-25 Times Fellowship program, which supports young journalists at the beginning of their careers. More information about Simon J. Levien can be found on his profile
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