Biden accuses Defence Dept of transition obstruction
US President-elect Joe Biden has accused the Department of Defence of failing to provide his team details of the transition of power, the media reported on Tuesday.
In a video message posted on Twitter on Monday, Biden, who takes office on January 20, 2021, said: “My team needs a clear picture of our force posture around the world and our operations to deter our enemies.
“We need full visibility into the budget planning underway at the Defence Department and other agencies in order to avoid any window of confusion or catch-up that our adversaries may try to exploit.”
“We have encountered roadblocks from the political leadership at the Department of Defence and the Office of Management and Budget.
“Right now, we just aren’t getting all of the information that we need from the outgoing administration in key national security areas. It’s nothing short, in my view, of irresponsibility.”
Reacting to Biden’s remarks, Acting Defence Secretary Christopher Miller said officials had been “working with the utmost professionalism to support transition activities”, the BBC reported.
“The Department of Defence has conducted 164 interviews with over 400 officials and provided over 5,000 pages of documents – far more than initially requested by Biden’s transition team,” Miller was quoted as further saying.
The presidential transition process is the handover of important information and duties from the outgoing administration to the President-elect and his or her team, ensuring that they are fully up to speed when they take office.
After days of refusal following the November 3 polls, President Donald Trump, who is yet to concede, finally agreed to allow the formal transition process.
