Biden's team is considering legal action over Trump blocking the presidential transition process

(Image credit: Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images)

published 10 November 2020

President-elect Joe Biden's transition team said Monday night it's considering legal action to compel the Trump administration to sign the paperwork freeing up federal resources and personnel to begin the peaceful transfer of power. Because President Trump has not conceded, the head of the General Services Administration is refusing to issue the paperwork. The Biden team pointed to the law requiring those resources be released when there's "an apparent winner," but the GSA says it is following the letter of the Presidential Transition Act. "There are a number of options on the table, legal action is certainly a possibility, but there are other options as well that we're considering," a Biden transition official said.

If you weren't worried about a peaceful transfer of power, now might be a good time to start, CNN's Alisyn Camerota advised Tuesday morning. "The Trump administration is blocking the Biden transition, President Trump is preventing President-elect Biden from getting intelligence briefings and critical funding, President Trump is installing his cronies into powerful positions like secretary of defense. The Biden team is now considering a legal fight."

Trump's refusal to concede is getting no public pushback from GOP leaders in Washington, and Attorney General William Barr is telling federal prosecutors they can disregard decades-old rules meant to keep the Justice Department out of uncertified elections.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.