Emily Murphy, the Trump appointee who has the sole power to officially recognize President-elect Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 election, is herself seeking a new job.
Murphy “appears to be looking for a new job, according to a message obtained by ABC News,” the news network reports.
She “recently sent that message to an associate inquiring about employment opportunities in 2021, a move that some in Washington interpreted as at least tacitly acknowledging that the current administration soon will be gone.”
As the head of the General Services Administration (GSA), Emily Murphy runs a massive 12,000 employee, $21 billion independent government agency. By law, it is her duty to “issue a letter of ‘ascertainment’ determining the likely winner of the race,” CBS News reports.
Note that her job is not to determine the winner, but the likely winner, which has indeed been determined.
“Here’s somebody who refuses to sign the letter of transition but is self-dealing at the same time,” U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) told ABC News. “That’s a de facto recognition that there’s an incoming administration, and it’s not called Trump — it’s called Biden.”
He says her move “exposes the hypocrisy” of the Trump administration.
By refusing to issue the letter stating Biden is the likely winner of the election Murphy is blocking $6.3 million in federal funds allocated to support the transition. Her lack of action is not only blocking funds, however, she’s also blocking the ability for the Biden transition team to meet and coordinate with the outgoing administration.
Experts say her actions are having a serious impact on national security, and will hamper efforts to roll out the coronavirus vaccines.
Image: DHS photo by Tara Molle via Flickr