The Trump Administration has given this Monday the clearest signal to date that the winner of the presidential elections on November 3 was Joe Biden and has given the green light at the beginning of the transfer of powers after the states of Michigan and Georgia They will certify the results, before the deadline of December 14. The president, however, has not yet admitted defeat and has not congratulated the winner.
The Director of the General Services Administration (GSA), Emily Murphy, sent a letter to Biden in which she formally designates him as the apparent winner of the election, which sets the transition process in motion: the The president-elect's team will receive federal funds, space if necessary in the departments and authorization for his advisers to begin coordinating with the senior officials of the Trump Administration the sending of information and data to prepare for the landing of his Government.
Here's the full letter from Murphy to Biden: pic.twitter.com/DJ4SFLzrfP
- Jeremy Herb (@jeremyherb) November 23, 2020
Murphy had refused for more than two weeks, since most of the major American media named Biden the winner on November 7, to take that step. From the beginning, Donald Trump has defended that he is the winner of the elections and that there has been an alleged "massive fraud" and "electoral theft" so that Biden has been the winner.
"Today's decision is a necessary step to begin addressing the challenges facing our nation, including controlling the pandemic and recovering our economy," Democratic Transition Team Director Yohannes said in a statement. Abraham.
Republican criticism
With each passing day, the chances of Trump turning the ballot box around are less: he has not achieved any significant victory in court and the decisive states - as was the case this Monday in Michigan - have certified that the winner is Biden. At the same time, the heavyweights of the Republican Party have begun to abandon Trump. More and more legislators and senior officials, who initially reacted quietly to the president's accusations, have decided to recognize Biden as president-elect or the apparent winner of the election.
Tennessee Republican Senator Lamar Alexander has repeatedly called for Trump to allow the handover to begin and on Monday directly urged the president to put "the homeland first" and agree that he is leaving. "When you go public, what people remember is the last thing you did," Alexander said in a statement. The same did the also Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, who asked Murphy on Monday to authorize the transfer of funds and resources to Biden's team so that they do not waste time in their response to the pandemic.
Murphy, the General Services official responsible for authorizing the transition, wrote in her letter: “I take this role seriously and, due to the latest developments regarding lawsuits and election results certifications, I am transmitting this letter to your provision of resources and services ”. In her letter, Murphy denounces having received threats, both she and her family: "In the face of threats, I kept my commitment to enforce the law."
Excused by the president
President Trump excused Murphy for her decision, echoing those threats. “I want to thank Emily Murphy of the GSA for her steadfast dedication and loyalty to our country. She has been harassed, threatened and insulted, and I do not want this to happen to her, her family or other GSA employees, ”the president said on Twitter. In the interest of the country, I recommend that Emily and her team do what needs to be done regarding the initial protocols, and I have told my team to do the same.
I want to thank Emily Murphy at GSA for her steadfast dedication and loyalty to our Country. She has been harassed, threatened, and abused - and I do not want to see this happen to her, her family, or employees of GSA. Our case STRONGLY continues, we will keep up the good ...
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 23, 2020
Murphy, however, wanted to make clear in her letter that she was not ordered to give the green light to the transition: "I made the decision independently, based on the law and available facts."
In addition to Michigan, in recent days Georgia and the main county of Arizona have certified their results, and, in addition to Michigan, Pennsylvania was scheduled to do it yesterday, a key state where Trump's legal team has taken another painful defeat this Weekend. Trump's message was far from being a concession of defeat and assured that "we will continue with the fight and we will prevail."
