Team Trump finally signs MoU for transition from Biden but with riders and amid concerns

The team of US President-elect Donald Trump has announced on Tuesday that it has signed an agreement to commence the process of transition from Joe Biden-led federal government, even though the details of the plan indicated certain departures from conventional procedures.

As per the incoming White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, the Trump’s team would now be sending in “landing teams” to various departments and agencies as it braces up with its preparation to take over the bureaucracy of the executive branch.

“After completing the selection process of his incoming cabinet, president-elect Trump is entering the next phase of his administration’s transition. This engagement allows our intended cabinet nominees to begin critical preparations," a report by The Guardian quoted Wiles as saying.

However, as per the report, the agreement with the Biden administration, which is known as a memorandum of understanding, seemed to be a pared-down version of what is usually signed by presidential transitions.

The signing of the memo typically releases up to $7.2 million in government funding to cover staffing expenses and other costs, along with access to government office space via the nonpartisan General Services Administration.

The transition team has to reveal its donors and impose a $5,000 limit on contribution. Also, the agreement should have been signed months before the presidential election.

Normally, the transition team just signs an ethics agreement, which leads for transition aides to start receiving government information such as classified briefings and the granting of security clearances.

The report said the media release on Wiles’s announcement suggested that the Trump’s team had negotiated its own language for some of the restrictions.

Although the Trump team pledged to disclose the identities of its donors and reject any foreign contributions, Wiles stated that no government funds would be used, and the entire operation would be privately financed.

Wiles further said that the Trump team had its own ethics plan, separate from the official government one, leaving uncertain whether all transition aides would be allowed to receive full government briefings, including those containing classified information.

Trump’s disinterest in engaging with the formal transition process stems from his first administration, when officials handed over transition team records to the Russia investigation, according to sources familiar with the situation.

As per the report, Trump has previously broken convention with the transfer of power. Back in 2016, his campaign organised what appeared to be a standard process, but after winning, Trump fired his transition team’s leadership and cut off communications with the Obama administration.

In 2020, shortly after the election, Trump pressured the General Services Administration to withhold recognition of Biden’s victory, preventing his team from accessing federal financial assistance.