We got fooled again.
Trump still hasn’t signed ethics agreement required for presidential transition
President-elect Donald Trump has not yet submitted a series of transition agreements with the Biden administration, in part because of concerns over the mandatory ethics pledge vowing to avoid conflicts of interest once sworn in to office, CNN has learned.
As president, Trump repeatedly came under fire from ethics groups for potential conflicts of interest relating to his businesses and brands. Both Trump’s and his family’s foreign business ties have also come under intense scrutiny throughout his time in office and on the campaign trail.
Trump and his transition team are already behind in accessing key transition briefings from the Biden administration, as they have failed to sign a pair of agreements to unlock critical information before taking over the federal government in 72 days.
The holdup revolves in part around the mandatory agreement over ethics issues.
The Trump team ignored a pair of key preelection deadlines to unlock transition activities with the Biden administration’s General Services Administration and the White House. Experts are sounding the alarms about impacts to Day 1 national security preparedness.
The GSA agreement, due September 1, gives Trump’s team access to office space and secure communications, among other provisions. And the White House agreement, due October 1, serves as the gatekeeper for access to agencies and information and lays groundwork for Trump’s team to receive security clearances necessary to begin receiving classified information. The ethics agreement was also due by October 1.
The Trump adviser told CNN the president-elect intends to sign the ethics pledge, but said the transition team’s main priority is selecting and vetting candidates for top Cabinet roles. It is unclear when Trump will sign the pledge.
The adviser played down the skipped deadlines, saying it is “not at all a concern,” but nonpartisan watchdogs and Democrats have warned that the failure to sign those agreements could pose a risk to national security.
Trump’s team could have begun receiving briefings from federal agencies as early as Thursday had it signed the agreements, according to Valerie Smith Boyd, director of the Center for Presidential Transition at the nonprofit, nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service. Boyd estimated that “hundreds” of Trump officials involved in the transition will need background checks to receive classified briefings.
However, she's a solid MAGAt. At least she didn't get Interior where she could put DonOLD on Mt Rushmore.
