The United States General Services Administration has finally recognized Democratic Party candidate, Joe Biden as the winner of the November 3 presidential election.
The agency gave the green light on Monday, following weeks of silence.
President Donald Trump accepted that the formal transition of power to Joe Biden should begin through his tweet.
“I want to thank Emily Murphy at GSA for her steadfast dedication and loyalty to our Country. She has been harassed, threatened, and abused – and I do not want to see this happen to her, her family, or employees of GSA. Our case STRONGLY continues, we will keep up the good fight, and I believe we will prevail! Nevertheless, in the best interest of our Country, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same,” he tweeted.
With the development, a formal transition process has begun in earnest giving Biden and his team access to current agency officials, briefing books and other government resources, including some $6 million in funding.
Emily Murphy, the GSA chief, said in a letter to Biden on Monday, “Because of recent developments involving legal challenges and certifications of election results, I have determined that you may access the post-election resources and services described in Section 3 of the Act upon request.”
She acted after Michigan certified Biden’s victory in the battleground state, and a federal judge in Pennsylvania tossed out a Trump campaign lawsuit on Saturday seeking to prevent certification in that state.
However, Trump backing down is also not unconnected with increasing number of Republicans publicly acknowledging Biden’s victory.
To formally start transition process in US after election, federal law states that the GSA administrator must first issue a letter of “ascertainment” determining the likely winner of the race. The move is essentially a formal recognition by the current administration that a new president has been elected and a transition will occur.
