President-elect Donald Trump‘s transition has been subject to more attention due to President Joe Biden‘s story of leaving with classified documents.
According to White House press director Karine Jean-Pierre,” the leader is committed to making sure this shift is effective and efficient, and he’s doing that because this is the norm.” ” But furthermore because this is the right thing to do for Americans,” he continued.
Both leaders have had trouble achieving this in the past.
Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home was raided in August of 2022 as FBI agents searched for files stored it that dated to the first Trump presidency. The following month, Biden wondered loudly “how … anyone could be that reckless” as to keep classified documents in a storage space of their home.
However, just a few days later, a secret memo from the Obama-Biden administration was discovered in Biden’s personal department. A special counsel review later revealed that Biden had been caught on tape admitting to having classified files in his residence as early as 2017 and having them in his own.
Yet as stress is roiling from both sides of the aisle, management officials are optimistic about better results this time around. The lack of consequences for Trump’s post-presidency store of files at Mar-a-Lago, according to Bradley Moss, a national security counsel, leaves little room for biden to show cohesion.
According to Moss, Biden was” right upwards walk out of the White House with whatever classified documents he wants,” state immunity, and yell” National Records Act” to everyone while grabbing the middle finger while chanting” National Records Act” on the news. ” Of course, no one expects President Biden to do anything like that. His staff should be being particularly cautious to prevent any unintended treatment of classified records over the coming months, according to the expectation.
However, the Oversight Project producer, Mike Howell, believes that more needs to be done to ensure that Biden’s exit is handled effectively and rejects the notion that Trump has gotten off lightly.
According to Howell,” President Biden attempted to imprison Trump for the rest of his existence.” He coordinated nationwide law enforcement tasks. Trump’s death was his desire. He called him a danger to democracy. I do n’t believe Biden is forgiven just because he attends a traditional tea party.
Biden and Trump’s set appointment on Wednesday night in the Oval Office is what constitutes that “tea celebration.” Since winning the election, Biden has made a point of granting Trump the orderly, stately change he was denied when he took office four years ago.
Unlike Trump, Biden was not charged criminally for mishandling classified documents because Special Counsel Robert Hur concluded the 81-year-old leader “would probably present himself to a judge, as he did during our discussion of him, as a compassionate, well-meaning, old man with a bad memory”.
Republicans in Congress have pledged to carry out oversight as needed, but they are unsure whether Biden or his team will handle the records appropriately.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY ) criticized the White House for lying about the timeline surrounding the discovery of secret documents that President Biden kept at the Penn Biden Center. President Biden has n’t been transparent with the American people about keeping classified documents in his cabinet as a senator and vice president, nor has he given the impression that he wo n’t be taking them back in the future.
Comer added that” we fully anticipate those in charge of managing presidential records to closely monitor the transition to a president who adheres to the law” and.
Before Biden leaves office on January 20, the process will likely face scrutiny as it unfolds.
The Presidential Records Transition Task Force was established earlier this year by Vice President Biden to address what his administration refers to as a “long-standing problem” of mishandling, but little has been discussed since its formation in February.  ,
Trump’s involvement in the transition process has a flaw, adding to the saga’s other catch: the GSA has yet to approve cooperation with the GSA. The GSA provides office space, equipment, administrative support, and other services as required under the Presidential Transition Act, but Trump is , refusing to cooperate , with his transition so far.
National security analyst and attorney Irina Tsukerman claimed that Trump’s lack of security briefings may have had an impact on his ability to obtain some of the information from unclassified sources.
In all likelihood, he wo n’t be able to access it until the inauguration, which will hinder how quickly his team can begin addressing the various crises and concerns, according to Tsukerman.
Ironically, Trump may not be able to coordinate with GSA because of his distaste for the Biden administration and security forces. Trump’s allies have suggested that to prevent any government interference, he should pay for his transition privately.
According to Tsukerman, significant modifications must be made to the way of handling classified documents.
” To demonstrate seriousness about national security means that the blame rests with the leaders, and prison sentences should be very much on the table to stop officials from leaving with classified information,” she said. Additionally, after presidents retire, they should no longer be subject to executive privilege and sovereign immunity.
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Republicans in Congress will continue to monitor Biden and his administration for the time being.
Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX ) argued that anyone in the federal ranks who destroys records should be punished. ” Expectations for a peaceful transfer of power should encompass the entire administration, and not just the Office of the President”.
