US President-elect Joe Biden and president-elect Kamala Harris have received a a briefing from the national security experts about the diplomatic, defense and intelligence challenges facing the nation. The US government office that launches the progress cycle – the General Services Administration (GSA), headed by a Trump appointee – has not yet recognized Democrats Biden and Harris as victors of the November 3 presidential election.
The head of the GSA, Emily W Murphy, a nominee of occupant Republican president Donald Trump, has so far wouldn’t make the lawfully essential move to start the change cycle, which would give Biden’s group a financial plan, knowledge briefings and admittance to government organizations. The Biden-Harris Transition said on Tuesday that the specialists informed them on the discretionary, protection and intelligence challenges the organization will acquire on the very beginning, focusing in on both the key scene just as the status of our international strategy and public security divisions and offices.
Such a briefing comes in the absence of an official daily intelligence briefing by the outgoing Trump administration to Biden and Harris. Since President Donald Trump has refused to concede the November 3 election, the administration is unable to provide the daily intelligence and national security briefing to Biden and Harris.
Trump has launched a slew of lawsuits in key states, but has not provided any evidence to back his claims of fraud. The broader Biden Transition Team will continue to hear from distinguished former practitioners, especially as the lack of GSA ascertainment prevents the Transition from meeting with and hearing from the current Executive Branch officials, including on pressing matters of national security and foreign policy.
Participants in the briefing were General (rtd) Lloyd Austin, Tony Blinken, Nicholas Burns, David Cohen, Avril Haines, Kathleen Hicks, General (rtd) Stanley McChrystal, Admiral (rtd) William McRaven, Carmen Middleton, Samantha Power, Lieutenant General (rtd) Vincent Stewart, Linda Thomas-Greenfield and Robert Work. To answer these twin challenges, we are going to need to reinvigorate our democracy and that we have a foreign policy that reflects their values and their needs. I think we have to renew America’s leadership and put the United States back at the head of the table, Biden said at the top of the briefing.
We are going to focus on readiness for whatever may come and that’s why I have asked you all to brief me on what you see as the biggest challenges we face and how to make sure that our diplomacy, our military meet these crises. I am not being critical, to state the obvious, you know, I am unable to get the briefings that ordinarily would come by now. So I just wanted to get your input on what you see ahead. To state the obvious, there’s no presidential responsibility more important than protecting the American people, so I appreciate you taking your time and I am anxious to hear what you all have to say,” Biden added.
