There are frequent controversies in the US presidential election in 2020. Until now, the Trump administration has not officially recognized Biden as “president-elect” and the election campaign has been artificially dragged into “junk time”.
And in this procrastination game, an unknown government agency-the General Services Administration (GSA) seems to hold on to the “last stubbornness” for Trump: Director Emily Murphy still does not approve the election.
As a result, he was reluctant to sign documents to issue funds for the transition work, causing the Biden transition team to delay the handover. The American Political News Network joked that, at least for now, she is the “most powerful woman” in Washington.
According to a CNN report on the 18th, GSA was founded in 1949. Its main function is to assist in managing the daily basic operations of federal government departments, such as providing office space, materials, communications, and transportation for government departments.
Responsible for government procurement, managing federal properties, etc. In the U.S. election year, the GSA also has a little-known important authority-the election results need to be “formally approved” by the agency.
Before this critical procedure is over, the transition team of the next government will not be able to handover with the current government. .
Since the “Presidential Transition Act” was signed in 1963, GSA has been an important part of the transition period after the end of the previous US presidential elections.
Only after the GSA confirms that one party has won the election and signs a letter to provide it with funds to pay wages and establish a new government administrative work, and authorize the president-elect’s transition team to enter the government building and use office space and equipment, the US presidential power will be transferred The work was officially started.
The “presidential certification” process does not have clear legal regulations. It is generally in accordance with the usual practice. After a reliable news organization announces the winner and the loser recognizes the defeat, the head of GSA confirms the new president.
Some media analysts believe that due to the continuous turmoil in the US election this year and Trump’s reluctance to admit defeat, Murphy “dilemma” and reluctant to express his position.
According to a source close to Murphy, she is a low-key technical official with a somewhat “dead true” character, and she has to do enough homework to make a decision.
Murphy is carefully studying the special precedents of the general election-such as the 2000 election between Bush Jr. and Gore that dragged on for a month before reaching the final result.
In this regard, the “Washington Post” published an article on the 19th that Murphy was “asking for trouble” and making meaningless entanglements, because the 2000 election and the 2020 election are completely incomparable: Bush Jr. vs. Gore The controversy in the election campaign is only the counting of votes in one state, and the difference in the number of votes between the two in that state is very small; but now Trump has lost three states, and the number of votes in each state varies greatly. “Biden Has won clearly.”
The newspaper criticized that Murphy is now “delaying for no reason,” causing the federal government to operate inefficiently, and people’s demands are not responded to.
Murphy, 47, has a doctorate in law and worked as an executive in a technology company for 5 years. She has a very rich political resume. She has served on the Republican National Committee and an advisor to the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee. In September 2017, she was nominated by Trump as GSA Director.
According to CNN, Murphy’s overall evaluation during her tenure is relatively high, and some subordinates even gave the evaluation of “both ability and political integrity”. However, the current delay has “stained” Murphy’s political career, and many have worked with her. Of people said they “do not agree with her procrastination”.
CNN called Murphy “Emily, do something” and criticized her by citing the famous words of British politician Edmund Burke: “The magic weapon of evil is that the good people do nothing.”
Some people also think that Murphy, who seems to be a person of integrity and not strong partisanship, has actually been reduced to “Giuliani” (Giuliani is Trump’s trusted and personal lawyer).
The US Business Insider website stated that Murphy had been tainted with “stains” in 2018 and was suspected of “perjurying” Trump. Previously, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had been trying to move its headquarters out of the J Edgar Hoover Building on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., because the building was in disrepair.
After Trump took office, he intervened in this plan and was questioned by the Democratic Party about “using power for personal gain”: because according to the original plan, if the FBI moved out, its old site would be changed to a hotel, which would be the Trump hotel across the street.” Grab business”. The White House denied this claim.
Murphy also stated in a congressional hearing in April 2018 that it was the FBI’s decision to stop the relocation, and Trump did not participate.
However, an internal report later revealed that many GSA officials and Murphy himself had discussed the relocation with Trump more than once, and the agency also falsely claimed that an alternative plan was cheaper than the original relocation plan.
