Appointed by Donald Trump in 2017, the GSA official responsible for formally approving the Biden transition wrote a letter to Biden on Monday, to advise the President-Elect that the process can now begin.
Emily Murphy, the Trump appointee who holds the keys to transition funds and tools, had delayed issuing an official determination that Biden won election as the Trump campaign filed a flurry of lawsuits challenging the results that show Biden with a clear electoral college victory.
Murphy said she was not pressured by President Donald Trump, who appointed her to head the GSA in 2017, to hold back the formal ascertainment.
“Please know that I came to my decision independently, based on the law and available facts,” Murphy wrote in a letter to Biden. “I was never directly or indirectly pressured by any Executive Branch official—including those who work at the White House or GSA—with regard to the substance or timing of my decision.”
