Transition to Joe Biden Presidency to Officially Begin, GSA Says

Weeks after former Vice President Joe Biden was projected to be the winner of the presidential election, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has officially signaled that a transition to Biden’s presidency could begin. On Monday afternoon, GSA Administrator Emily Murphy penned a letter to Biden’s team informing them of this news, as CNN’s White House Correspondent Jeremy Diamond wrote on Twitter. While the GSA has signaled that Biden can official begin his transition in the lead up to his inauguration, President Donald Trump still took to Twitter to say that his case will “STRONGLY” continue as he challenges the outcome of the election.

Murphy has officially signed off on Biden’s victory, a process which is known as ascertainment. Now that she has completed this action, the president-elect’s team will officially be able to coordinate with current administration agency officials. It should also be noted that this action was done shortly after many battleground states like Michigan and Georgia formally certified their election results (both of those states went to Biden). This letter is the first sign that the Trump campaign has acknowledged its defeat in the presidential election, per CNN. In her letter, Murphy wrote that the White House did not pressure her to delay the transition. She also noted that she did not make a decision “out of fear or favoritism.”

“Please know that I came to my decision independently, based on the law and available facts,” Murphy wrote. “I was never directly or indirectly pressured by any Executive Branch official — including those who work at the White House or GSA — with regard to the substance or timing of my decision. To be clear, I did not receive any direction to delay my determination.” On Twitter, Trump acknowledged this move, but he seemingly implied that he directed Murphy to take this action. He claimed that Murphy has been “harassed, threatened, and abused” and that he does not want to see that happen to her or her family. The president went on to write that they will continue to fight the outcome of the election and that they “will prevail.” He finished his message by writing that he recommended that Murphy and her team “do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols” and that he has directed his team to do the same.