US roiled by presidential transition tumult

AFP

The Trump administration threw the presidential transition into tumult on Monday, with President Donald Trump blocking government officials from cooperating with President-elect Joe Biden’s team and Attorney General William Barr authorizing the Justice Department to probe unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud.

Some Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, rallied behind Trump’s efforts to fight the election results.

Few in the GOP acknowledged Biden’s victory or condemned Trump’s other concerning move on Monday: his firing of Defense Secretary Mark Esper.

The developments cast doubt on whether the nation would witness the smooth transition of power that has long anchored its democracy. The Electoral College is slated to formally confirm Biden’s victory on December 14 and the Democrat will be sworn into office on January 20.

On Monday, Barr authorized US attorneys to probe “substantial” allegations of voter irregularities and election fraud, though no widespread instances exist.

Biden pressed forward with plans to build out his administration, assembling a team of experts to face the surging pandemic.

But the federal agency that needs to greenlight the beginnings of the transition of power held off on taking that step. And the White House moved to crack down on those not deemed sufficiently loyal as Trump continued to refuse to concede the race.

The president remained out of sight at the White House, with conversations ongoing about how the defeated president would spend the coming days and weeks as he challenged the people’s verdict.

The president was given cover to keep fighting by McConnell, seen by many in the GOP as the one who may eventually need to nudge Trump to the exit.

“Our institutions are actually built for this,” McConnell said as he opened the Senate on Monday.

“We have the system in place to consider concerns and President Trump is 100 percent within his rights to look into allegations of irregularities and weigh his legal options.”

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer countered that the Republicans’ refusal to accept the election results was extremely poisonous to the country’s democracy.

Despite Trump’s public stance, there was a growing realization in his inner circle that the election result would be impossible to overturn.

Some senior officials have tried to make the case that Trump should turn his efforts to cement his legacy, but they are wary of being labeled disloyal for even thinking it.

At the White House, attendance among aides had dropped off since election night — partly because of the result and partly because a number is in quarantine after contracting or being exposed to people who came down with COVID-19. Vice President Mike Pence was slated to depart yesterday for a vacation in Florida after a visit to Capitol Hill.

Trump’s public schedule hasn’t included an intelligence briefing since October 1.

The White House hasn’t provided a “readout” of any call between the president and a foreign leader in weeks.

He hasn’t met with members of the White House coronavirus task force in months. He also offered no public comment on Tropical Storm Eta lashing the Florida Keys.