transition team

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Trump's Transition Is Being Funded in Secret

President-elect has so far not signed traditional agreements, is keeping donors under wraps

(Newser) - President-elect Trump won't say who's paying for his transition effort, and the secrecy is raising eyebrows in some circles. Most presidents-elect sign an agreement with the outgoing administration that allows them access to federal funds meant for the transition—in exchange for the incoming president agreeing to limits...

Flournoy May Not Be a Shoo-In for Defense After All

Sources tell Politico that Biden is still mulling his options for defense secretary

(Newser) - President-elect Joe Biden is hard at work making picks for his administration, with reports already circulating on his choices for secretary of state, Homeland Security chief, and director of national intelligence, among others. But one key role tied to national security is still up in the air: secretary of defense,...

GOP Senator Says He'll Go to Bat for Biden on Intel Briefs

James Lankford of Okla.: I'll 'step in' if president-elect isn't given access by Friday

(Newser) - President Trump still hasn't conceded to Joe Biden, and the president-elect still hasn't been given access to transition funding and intelligence briefings. In pushing to get those resources, it looks like Biden will have a new ally come Friday: GOP Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma says he'll...

One Part of Trump Strategy: Expect More Rallies
Trump Appointee Won't Sign
Transition Letter
the rundown

Trump Appointee Won't Sign Transition Letter

Move prevents Biden team from accessing money, using federal buildings

(Newser) - The inauguration is 72 days away, and President Trump's team is signaling that it intends to make full use of them to try to keep Trump in office. Joe Biden, meanwhile, is quickly moving ahead by lining up his own White House team . Coverage about what to expect in...

Biden Names Whistleblower to COVID Team

Rick Bright, ex-Surgeon General Vivek Murthy among those on new advisory panel

(Newser) - As coronavirus records are smashed across the US, Joe Biden isn't wasting any time in starting to address "one of the most important battles our administration will face." On Monday morning, the president-elect announced a 13-member Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board to "help shape my approach to...

Obama Is Out, but 50 Staffers Unexpectedly Remain

Obama appointees to stick around until posts are filled

(Newser) - Barack Obama may have exited the White House, but some of his administration staffers are unexpectedly sticking around. New White House press secretary Sean Spicer says 50 State Department and national security officials who served under Obama will stay at their posts temporarily, while Obama appointee Thomas A. Shannon Jr....

Certain Members Wiped From Trump's Transition Team

Lobbyists are being shown the door, sources say

(Newser) - Tuesday brought a big shake-up for Donald Trump's transition team, but the president-elect took to Twitter to assure Americans that there's a "very organized process taking place as I decide on Cabinet and many other positions. I am the only one who knows who the finalists are!...

It's Shake-Up No. 2 for the Trump Transition Team

Mike Rogers resigned today

(Newser) - Big shake-up No. 2 for Donald Trump's presidential transition team: Former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, who had been leading the national security part of the team, resigned Tuesday. In a statement reported by Politico , he called his time "during the initial pre-election planning phase ... a...

Taxpayers Gave Romney $8.9M to Plan 'Transition'

New law provides candidates with resources whether they win or not

(Newser) - The federal government handed Mitt Romney's team millions of dollars to plan a presidential transition that never happened, Freedom of Information Act requests reveal. Romney was the first beneficiary of the Presidential Transition Act of 2010, which provides major party candidates with resources to plan their transitions mid-campaign, Time...

Mitt Taps Transition Chief ... But Advises Himself?

Former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt picked to help, should Romney win

(Newser) - Someone's looking confident: Mitt Romney has picked the leader of his team to guide the transition into the White House. Mike Leavitt was Utah governor for 10 years and chose Romney to run the 2002 Olympics. He also served as EPA administrator and then health secretary under George W....

Google to Help Congress Become More Efficient?

Tech giant honcho Eric Schmidt met with GOP transition head

(Newser) - Google’s CEO made a stop at the House Republican transition office days after the election—but not to talk politics. In a discussion centered around upping Congressional efficiency, Eric Schmidt spoke with GOP transition head Greg Walden, explaining how Google could help Congress by making it possible to edit...

Obama Transition Not So Flawless After All
Obama Transition Not So Flawless After All
OPINION

Obama Transition Not So Flawless After All

Blunders show new administration to be quite ordinary, blogger writes

(Newser) - News coverage has so far given the impression that Barack Obama’s transition is one of the smoothest, best-executed in history. But with a number of recent blunders grabbing headlines, the administration’s image is coming back down to earth, writes Ed Morrissey for Hot Air. “Most transitions feel...

Google Will Have the President's Ear

Company may capitalize on the benefits of backing a winner

(Newser) - Google may be the company that needs to do the least searching for influence with the new president, reports the Los Angeles Times. The company was one of the biggest contributors to Barack Obama's candidacy, and four Google execs were on the transition team. The search giant's agenda—widening high-speed...

Bill, Gore, Rubin Guide Obama in Spirit

Bill, Al Gore and Robert Rubin leave mark on transition

(Newser) - Three of Barack Obama’s most important advisers will accompany him to the Oval Office only in spirit, Gerald Seib writes in the Wall Street Journal: Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and Robert Rubin. In leaving behind a healthy record as Democratic building blocks, the Clinton years left Obama “what...

Obama Staffers Stocking Up on Midnight Oil

President may encourage having families to White House for evening meals

(Newser) - The early-bird White House of the Bush administration is almost history, Politico reports. Unlike President Bush, who was usually out the door by 6pm, President-elect Obama’s staffers are expecting long, late hours to match their heavy workload. The Obama team is already working on ways to keep workers in...

Holder Pushed Clemency for Puerto Rican Militants

Obama's attorney-general pick helped commute sentences for PR nationalists

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s attorney-general nominee fought for clemency for 16 militant Puerto Rican nationalists during his time in the Clinton administration, the Los Angeles Times reports. Eric Holder pushed Justice Department subordinates to pave the way to Clinton’s clemency grant, documents show, sparking fury from law-enforcement officials who’d...

Richardson Camp Mum to Vetters on Pay-to-Play

Gov. tight-lipped about investigation

(Newser) - Bill Richardson’s sudden exit from the prospective Obama Cabinet is causing some Democrats to question the transition team’s vetting process. Sources tell Politico that Richardson evaded the team’s questions about the “pay-to-play” investigation he cited as his reason for backing out. The investigation has been public...

More Deja Vu: Betty Currie on Obama Team

Bill Clinton's secretary is now answering phones for Podesta

(Newser) - Yet another link with the Clinton White House: Betty Currie, the secretary to Bill Clinton who became embroiled in the Monica Lewinsky scandal, has rolled up her sleeves and is now manning the phones for John Podesta, the co-chairman of Obama’s transition team and former Clinton chief of staff,...

White House Preps Crisis Scenarios for Obama Team

Bush administration strives to stop transition period becoming a security weak spot

(Newser) - The White House has drawn up more than a dozen contingency plans to help Barack Obama if a crisis erupts early in his presidency, the New York Times reports. The briefings go way beyond what other administrations have prepared and deal with potential threats ranging from a North Korean nuclear...

Obama Camp Sits On List of Blago Contacts

No 'inappropriate discussions' by staff, but details must wait

(Newser) - Barack Obama's transition team has completed its review of contacts with Rod Blagojevich and his staff, but the US attorney has asked that details not be released while the investigation of the disgraced governor proceeds, the Chicago Tribune reports. A rep cut to the chase: “The president-elect’s staff...

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