Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who serves as the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, issued a letter to former President Donald Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) last Wednesday, claiming that Trump has “refused to commit to a smooth transition” by not working with the Biden-Harris administration on the “presidential transition process.”
In the letter to Trump and Vance, which was obtained by NBC News, Raskin explained that Congress passed the Pre-Election Presidential Act in 2010 to provide presidential candidates with resources and funding for “robust transitional planning to help ensure a smooth and effective transition between presidential administrations.”
“Breaking the precedent set by every other presidential candidate since 2010, you have rejected these resources and refused to commit to a smooth transition,” Raskin wrote. “Your actions depart from well-established norms of the federal government and demonstrate a spectacular disregard for the successful continuation of the essential institutions of American democratic government.”
According to NBC News, both the former president and Vice President Kamala Harris were expected to enter into agreements with the General Services Administration by September 1 and with the White House by October 1 as part of the presidential transition process. However, the Trump campaign reportedly missed both of the deadlines.
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In his letter, Raskin claimed that Trump’s decision not to coordinate the transition process with the Biden-Harris administration could lead to national security threats.
“A secure and effective presidential transition is ‘one of the greatest sources of Americans’ pride in our country’ and there are significant potential vulnerabilities with that transfer of power,” Raskin stated. “Specifically, ‘if the new President and the new Administration are not ready to govern on their first day in office, our nation’s adversaries may well see and take advantage of the situation.’”
Raskin also accused Trump of trying to avoid fundraising reporting requirements since candidates who enter into agreements with the government for “services and facilities” are required to reveal any privately raised transition funding and follow strict fundraising requirements, according to NBC News.
“It appears your decision may be at least partially driven by your intent to circumvent fundraising rules that put limits on private contributions on the transition effort and require public reporting,” Raskin told Trump. “You may also be acting out of a more general aversion to ethics rules designed to prevent conflicts of interest in the incoming administration.”