Any delay in giving the incoming Biden administration access to the President’s Daily Brief and other national security information and resources compromises the nation’s safety, according to a letter written to Emily Murphy, the Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration. The November 11 letter was signed by a bipartisan group of dozens of former national security officials including Javed Ali, Ford School Towsley Policymaker in Residence.
“In this moment of uncertainty, we must put politics aside,” the letter states, urging Murphy to name Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the apparent President-elect and Vice President-elect under the Presidential Transition Act. Murphy has so far refused to designate them as “apparent successful candidates”, which would allow incoming officials access to intelligence briefings, financial support, office space, and direct contact with current officials.
“The access provided by the Act is essential to ensure continuity of government from one administration to the next, and each day the Administrator delays is another day that the Biden team will be without critical information to prepare to combat the threats that the nation faces,” the letter states.
Ali was interviewed on Fox News about the letter and said, “Ensuring a smooth national security transition from the outgoing team to the incoming team is a key function that keeps the country safe. And it should be removed from any political calculation.”
You can read the letter here.
You can see the Fox News interview here.
