The election hasn’t even officially started, at least not November 5th, and yet serious concerns have arisen as to how a possible Trump transition team would assume power over the entire executive apparatus. It is true that having once been president, Donald Trump doesn’t need as thorough a background briefing as others might. But it’s also true that there are issues that happen outside the public’s eye and, more importantly – there are rules regarding who has to report what and when, exactly who is doing what, and what will be in place should Trump be sworn in January 20th.
Obviously, it’s hard to think about this issue when nearly everyone is thinking about the polls, money, and resulting votes. Good. But it doesn’t help anything if everyone keeps their head in the sand over possible future concerns, maybe severe concerns.
To that end, we now know that the Trump “transition team” isn’t particularly interested in working alongside the current administration. It is also self-evident that no one on the Trump team (Or any team) turns down free money. Given that the Trump campaign is currently turning down federal transition money, it can only be because they believe the real money comes from keeping things secret. This alone strongly hints at uniquely dark agenda. And whatever that may be, we won’t likely know it until it is put in place. According to Rawstory and Politico’s reporting the initial steps aren’t being hidden:
The decision not to take federal assistance allows them to raise unlimited funds without disclosing their donors, while avoiding oversight from federal bureaucrats, whom Trump and his advisers deeply distrust. But if Trump wins the election and continues to drag his feet on signing the agreement with the White House, it will limit the information he and his team can access to understand current federal operations and challenges.
Shudder. It certainly sounds like the transition team will establish such a break from the past that any current information would be dated at a minimum, or laughably naive and irrelevant. Either way, it should be a given that they view secrecy is more important than traceable money or plans.
To that end, this leans hard into the naivety hypothesis:
Not working with the federal transition coordinators “adds another degree of difficulty to executing the transition because there’s so many points of interaction with the executive branch,” said Rich Bagger, [the] former executive director for Trump’s pre-election 2016 transition. There’s all this “serious work that needs to take place that, it just seemed to me, was facilitated by being … fully integrated into the transition structure.”
Yes, well – that doesn’t mean that serious work isn’t being done, it’s just not necessarily facilitated by the current administration or permanent civil servants. Not to beat on the same point but there is little left to conclude other than what’s past is past and the future won’t look or work like that past. For now, though, the possible Trump transition team is at least attempting to quell concerns by arguing that it will engage in some transition with the current administration. They will just… do it their own way. This is supposed to assuage us:
“The Trump-Vance transition lawyers continue to constructively engage with the Biden-Harris administration lawyers regarding all agreements contemplated by the Presidential Transition Act,” they said. “Any suggestion to the contrary is false and intentionally misleading.”
It is better than “No comment.” Not much. Still.
Sadly, the nation now expects this – or something like it – from Trump and his team. Laws or not, they are going to do it their way. Laws or not, they will tell us they’ve complied or just go ahead and do it without making a lot of noise. We also expect that they are absolutely prepared to do what they want – it is not like they tend to have a conservative “Let’s just wait and see” approach.
As with everything else, one should just follow the money. That is the sure way to know what’s happening and with whom. But there you run up against the whole point. The best way to hide what’s happening with whom is to keep public money out. It leaves everyone searching in the dark except the people who don’t need to search for anything. Don’t expect to hear from them.
So vote.
God Bless: I can be reached at [email protected] and @JasonMiciak
The nazi transition occurred in the 30s. So take your pick…end up going along, resist and either be arrested or shot, or run. Any questions? Thinking somehow it won’t be the road to Hell and I must ask when did you start smoking crack?
Oh, I forgot…pick up a gun and stand with every patriot who died giving us our freedoms. I now have a better understanding of how people become radicalized. I believe JFK said those who make democracy impossible make revolution inevitable.
if he wins none of this matters, it just goes away like everything he is responsible for went away like emulsion clause for example and trials will go away. should have to do all of this before when applying to officially run for president.
Emoluments clause?
I’d worry a lot more if I thought trump had a chance in hell of winning. Every day it becomes less and less likely to the point we’re at today: unless he cheats, as in a MILITARY coup on election day, he hasn’t a prayer-I don’t care how many fucking corrupt, con xtians are praying for his evil soul.
He has a very good chance of winning. A VERY good chance.
It is tied and the swing states are very tough. He has a very good chance of winning.
Not to mention if the gop retains the house, the christo-fascist speaker won’t certify the election unless Trump steals it AGAIN!