President-elect Donald Trump has yet to sign legal documents necessary to begin the transition of power from the Biden administration, causing delays in providing security clearances and resources to his incoming team. The White House has expressed readiness to assist in the transition, but Trump has not agreed to memorandums of understandings with the General Service Administration, citing concerns about the ethics policy. This delay in signing these agreements is a departure from precedent, as typically these documents are filed at least a month before presidential elections. Despite not formalizing the transition of power, Trump has been assembling members of his White House staff and Cabinet aggressively, with Cabinet nominees not undergoing FBI background checks. Additionally, Trump’s nominee for attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, withdrew from consideration amid an ongoing House Ethics Committee investigation into sexual assault allegations. Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns about Trump’s refusal to sign the transition documents, accusing him of breaking the law and creating potential conflicts of interest. The situation remains unresolved, with Trump’s transition team stating that they are engaging with the Biden-Harris administration lawyers regarding the necessary agreements.
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