House Democrat says Trump campaign has refused to commit to smooth transition process

WASHINGTON — The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin, is sounding the alarm over former President Donald Trump’s failure to reach key deals with the Biden administration for the presidential transition process, warning which could jeopardize the peaceful transfer of power and threaten US national security.

In a letter sent Wednesday to Trump and his running mate, 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 the resources provided by the federal. government for a smooth transition.

“Your actions depart from the 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 may be trying to skirt fundraising reporting requirements and rules designed to avoid conflicts of interest in the incoming administration.

Both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris were due to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU), or agreement, with the General Services Administration on September 1 and a memorandum of understanding with the White House on October 1 , as part of the transition process. .

The Trump campaign has missed the deadlines, while the Harris campaign entered into the agreements in September, Raskin said. A GSA spokesman confirmed the settlement with the Harris campaign to NBC News on Wednesday, saying the agency is “actively working with the Trump transition team to complete” a separate agreement. A White House spokesman also confirmed this to NBC News, saying the federal transition coordinator “is actively working with the Trump transition team to complete an MOU.”

The Trump and Harris campaigns did not immediately respond to requests for comment from NBC News.

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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 people, resources, and information, including national security information.” – necessary to keep our country safe.”

He noted that there are “significant potential vulnerabilities” that come with the transfer of power between administrations, including that if the new president and administration are not ready to govern on day one, US adversaries could take advantage of the situation.”

Candidates who accept government “services and facilities” must also disclose privately raised funds for the transition to the public and are limited to $5,000 per person.

“It appears that your decision may be motivated at least in part by your intent to circumvent fundraising rules that limit private contributions to the transition effort and require public reporting,” Raskin wrote. “It may also be acting out of a more general aversion to ethics rules designed to avoid conflicts of interest in the incoming administration.”

Trump has named Linda McMahon, who ran the Small Business Administration during his presidency, and Howard Lutnick, chairman and CEO of financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald, as leaders of the transition team.

Raskin strongly urged Trump and Vance to sign those agreements with the administration “quickly” and come up with an ethics plan.

In the letter, the congressman also said that Trump’s recent comments that he would not commit to a peaceful transfer of power, along with his efforts to nullify the 2020 presidential election, heighten his concerns.

Bloomberg News editor-in-chief John Micklethwait asked Trump in an interview last week whether he would respect and encourage a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the election. Trump responded by saying there was “a very peaceful transition” in 2020 because he left Washington, DC, on the morning of President Joe Biden’s inauguration and went to Florida.

He also defended his actions on January 6, 2021, when his supporters demonstrated inside the US Capitol, saying it was a day of “love and peace”.