Top Trump appointee at USAID tells colleagues not to support Biden transition

Old_Joe

The Washington Post is reporting that:

The top political appointee at the U.S. Agency for International Development told officials during a phone call Monday that the agency will not cooperate with the transition to a Biden administration until a Trump appointee signs paperwork ascertaining the winner of the presidential election, three officials with knowledge of the conversation told The Washington Post.

USAID officials were also told on the call that three Trump loyalists are being elevated to top positions at the agency, even as the administration enters its waning days, according to the officials, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to comment on internal discussions.

The shifting leadership and the stance on the transition are causing some alarm within the agency, given President Trump’s refusal to concede the election to President-elect Joe Biden.

The administrator of the General Services Administration plays a crucial but little-known role in any transition from one administration to another, signing paperwork that releases millions of dollars and giving access to government officials, office space and equipment.

But a full 48 hours after media outlets projected Biden as the winner, GSA Administrator Emily Murphy has yet to sign such a letter.

John Barsa, who holds the title of acting deputy administrator, told political appointees at USAID on Monday afternoon that the agency would not cooperate with the transition until Murphy does so. Barsa has told colleagues in other conversations that Biden has not won and emphasized the importance of not abetting the process, two people said.

“The only official announcement about an election result that matters is from the head of GSA,” Barsa said, according to a recording of the call published earlier by the Free Beacon, a conservative website. “So until the head of GSA makes a determination as to who won an election, nothing changes — there is no transition in place.”

USAID, which provides billions of dollars of humanitarian assistance to foreign countries ever year, declined to comment.

Barsa, who was formerly USAID’s acting administrator, was supposed to step down from his position at the helm of the agency last week but remained in charge after the White House fired Bonnie Glick, who had been serving as the deputy administrator.

Glick was not given any reason for her firing but had supported the steps already taken in the transition process required by law, according to a person familiar with the matter. To prepare for the transition, USAID officials put together a 440-page document designed to help smooth the transfer of power to an incoming Biden administration or provide guidance for a second Trump term.

The above report was edited for brevity.