Rep. Jamie Raskin, of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, warned that Trump’s failure to enter into agreements with the Biden administration on a presidential transition could endanger the peaceful transfer of power.
WASHINGTON — The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin, is sounding the alarm over former President Donald Trump’s failure to enter into key agreements with the Biden administration for the presidential transition process, warning that it could endanger the peaceful transfer of power and threaten U.S. national security.
In a letter sent Wednesday to Trump and his vice presidential nominee, Sen. JD Vance, obtained exclusively by NBC News, Raskin warned that they are “breaking the precedent set by every other presidential candidate since 2010” by not accepting resources provided by the federal government for a smooth transition.
“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,” Raskin wrote.
The Maryland Democrat said it appears Trump could be trying to flout fundraising reporting requirements and rules designed to prevent conflicts of interest in the incoming administration.
Both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris were supposed to enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU), or agreement, with the General Services Administration by Sept. 1 and an MOU with the White House by Oct. 1, as part of the transition process.
The Trump campaign has missed the deadlines, while Harris’ campaign entered into the agreements in September, Raskin said. A GSA spokesperson confirmed the agreement with the Harris campaign to NBC News on Wednesday and said the agency is “actively working with the Trump transition team to complete” a separate agreement. A White House spokesperson also confirmed that to NBC News and said the federal transition coordinator “is actively working with the Trump transition team to complete a MOU.”
The Trump and Harris campaigns did not immediately respond to NBC News’ requests for comment.
The GSA agreement provides campaigns with access to office space and equipment, information technology and staff assistance from the federal government, Raskin wrote, adding that it gives candidates and their transition teams “direct access to the people, resources and information — including national security information — needed to keep our country safe.”
He noted there are “significant potential vulnerabilities” that come with the transfer of power between administrations, including that if the new president and administration aren’t ready to govern on day one, U.S. adversaries could take advantage of the situation.”
Candidates who accept the government’s “services and facilities” are also required to disclose privately raised funds for the transition to the public and are limited to $5,000 per person.
“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 wrote. “You may also be acting out of a more general aversion to ethics rules designed to prevent conflicts of interest in the incoming administration.”
Trump has named as his transition team leaders Linda McMahon, who ran the Small Business Administration during his presidency, and Howard Lutnick, chairman and CEO of the financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald.
Raskin strongly urged Trump and Vance to sign these agreements with the administration “expeditiously” and submit an ethics plan.
In the letter, the congressman also said Trump’s recent comments in which he wouldn’t commit to a peaceful transfer of power, in conjunction with his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, are exacerbating his concerns.
Trump was asked by Bloomberg News’ Editor in Chief John Micklethwait in an interview last week if he would respect and encourage a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the election. Trump responded by claiming there was “a very peaceful transfer” in 2020 because he left Washington, D.C., on the morning of President Joe Biden’s inauguration and went to Florida.
He also defended his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, when his supporters rioted inside the U.S. Capitol, saying it was a day of “love and peace.”
NBC NEWS
