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


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.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
India strikes Pakistan as tensions mount in Kashmir
speed read Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called it an 'act of war'
-
Israel approves plan to take over Gaza indefinitely
speed read Benjamin Netanyahu says the country is 'on the eve of a forceful entry'
-
Putin talks nukes as Kyiv slated for US air defenses
speed read 'I hope they will not be required,' Putin said of nuclear weapons on Russian state TV
-
US, Ukraine sign joint minerals deal
speed read The Trump administration signed a deal with Ukraine giving the US access to its mineral wealth
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Israel launches air strike on Beirut suburbs
Speed Read The attack targeting Hezbollah was Israel's third on the Lebanese capital since November's ceasefire
-
Dozens dead in Kashmir as terrorists target tourists
Speed Read Visitors were taking pictures and riding ponies in a popular mountain town when assailants open fired, killing at least 26
-
Israel blames 'failures' for killing of medics
speed read 14 Gaza medics and 1 U.N. employee were killed by IDF special forces