a reminder of the breaking news, the gsa has informed joe biden that it the gsa has informed joe biden thatitis the gsa has informed joe biden that it is ready to begin full transition, and donald trump has tweeted that he recommended the initial protocols. emily murphy, who was the embattled trump appointee who held off declaring a banner for 20 trump appointee who held off declaring a bannerfor 20 days, declared joe biden the victor ina declared joe biden the victor in a letter which is now been published. we can now speak to us political commentator and journalist max kutner, he joins us from new york. many people thought this day should have, a few days ago. what was the tipping point now? well the tipping point could have been michigan, which has 110w have been michigan, which has now certified the votes. and really it's just one thing after another. emily murphy, the gsa administrator, said there are a few different things she was looking for to help making that decision. and i think the certification did that. but this is a bit of a surprise, the gsa and this administrator had b

, right, the gsa, the chief of the gsa says she has made this decision. the president tweeted about it, that he recommended she do that. he's continuing with all his challenges. he's sure he will prevail, but you know, he recommends she begin this transition. chuck schumer says, quote, this is probably the closest thing to a concession that president trump could issue. do you agree? is this the closest thing to a concession that we'll get? >> well, i caught the quick word when i came in to the studio that the president had made those comments. i respect the decision to start the transition process. you know, i think it's one that's important for us to make sure that we are an orderly nation. i also think for the republican party, this is, you know, a starting point or at least points us in the direction of starting to talk about what potentially gop 2.0 looks like. you know, because there's a little bit of a crossroads going on. the top of the ticket obviously did not win at this point. does not look that way. but we watched republican legislatures all ov

adding this when it comes to the gsa. the gsa has been terrific. emily murphy has done a great job, but the gsa does not determine who the next president

this is not just gsa's activities and the items that gsa manages, but it's the full government. there is a transition council that's behind it and there's a transition team that's been in place and working. but all of the agencies will act according to the ascertainment as it happens. there's actually a memorandum of understanding that occurs between the transition team and the existing administration, and that also provides a guidepost by which the agencies will work with the transition team. so, all of those activities need to take place, and they can't happen and they won't occur until this moment takes place of the ascertainment. so there's a very significant moment that's happening here -- >> it is -- >> yeah. >> i'm sorry to interrupt you. that memorandum of understanding you're talking about, is that a predetermined thing? is it a template? or does that negotiation become, would you have called both the outgoing administration and the incoming administration and written down the agreement that they have about how things are going to go? >> the negotiations happen between

it is worth remembering that the administrator of the gsa is a political appointee. we also know that a new general counsel took over on october between night. that man came from the white house counsel office. one might imagine from the outside that there are a range of political partisan pressures on the gsa administrator as well of other -- as well as other points of influences. god forpraise be to c-span. say, a place where citizens can talk. later of thet and cash coordinator of the coalition. i am organizing republicans to work with biden. three of them come from states where they have moose. i want a job in the biden administration. republican.ong i was for biden openly with letters to the editor and speaking on free speech tv. have you seen any of my letters? host: let me ask you -- he wants a position in the biden administration. if you are one of those potential 4000 that wants a job, now is the time you have to start that process. you have to submit an application. you mentioned fbi ground check. -- back on check. -- background check. guest: anyone who thi

that is why this gsa letter is so important. it does need to be said that the people around the president often are going to be serving at the pleasure of the president and need to be consistent with the president policy priorities. host: what prompted the passage of the presidential transition act of 1963? prof. hult: we forget the history but you can see these transition acts getting more attention when something happens. 1963 after the assassination of john f. kennedy, in that case unanticipated crisis filled transition and it did capture congress's attention and they said they have to get better at how they handle the passage of power. through the years, problems in a particular election that often lead to an amendment of the 1963 transition act. we have to take this seriously not only the existing administration but also an incoming administration if they are coming in in the midst of a national emergency or crisis. >> before the inauguration was moved to january, it used to be in march, the whole period between november an

we had the gsa administrator from 2000 on. he's a former apple executive, not a political person, he focused on getting procurement better in the government and found himself in this position. he says that throughout the entire 2000 recount, he never had any pressure from the white house, he had many briefings with john podesta, john podesta made it clear was his decision and his decision alone, and it is a gsa decision. it's totally independent and hopefully she can make it soon. let me ask secretaries chertoff and napolitano. we focused a lot on covid. in previous transition, what are some of the other things homeland security is focused on? what might happen in the next two months, both while the transition itself is happening, while people are peering to come in, and in the first few weeks of the administration? what are people are look -- what are people looking for? sec. chertoff: we had a few things in our transition. one, we were worried about terrorism because this was going to be the first change in administration si

gsa administrator under barack obama. denise turner. sorry. i don't know why i called you -- denise turner. thank you so much. you have a fantastic thanksgiving. thank you so much. >> thank you. thank you, don. thank you. >> thank you. thank you. the booster.nt downy unstopables. a history. we have different needs and challenges. but one thing we share is wanting to make our lives the best they can be. if you have medicaid and medicare, a dual complete plan from unitedhealthcare can help. giving you more benefits at no extra cost to you. and one-on-one help managing your care... ...to get you the help you need, whatever your story may be. with dual complete from unitedhealthcare, there's more for you. with dual complete from unitedhealthcare, ♪then the back... ♪'tween your fingers and nails.♪ safeguard hand soap cleans better than ordinary soap in hard water. absorbing and trapping impurities to wash away germs. parents teach their children many lessons. let's make hand washing an important one. safeguard is donating ten million dollars

the gsa administrator formally launching the transition. trump insiders admit it's the end of the road. >>> plus, more breaking news. president-elect biden making picks and history, among them, janet yellen, the first woman to lead the treasury, and markets are liking that news tonight. we'll tell you why. and a third potential vaccine showing great promise. i'm going to speak to the lead researcher behind the vaccine and ask the question, when can you get it? let's go "outfront." >> good even

he said he has directed the gsa administrator. in her statement, she said she came to the decision independently. she has brought up the threats she has been facing online and on the phone. she says they are even threatening her pets. she is not saying joe biden is president-elect, but saying that it will be left up to the electoral process. still, it is a big deal, not just because the action is happening about moving forward, but the first sign the president is starting to give an indication that come january 20 at noon, that is no longer going to be his house. the first indication that that is starting to sink in. anchor: let's talk more about the tweet that donald trump put out. what did you make of it? reporter: i think it is a very big deal and he is starting to say, let's talk about the transition. there has been a lot of reporting that he feels like he needs to fight to send a message to his supporters. and it has been really remarkable how few republican politicians are leaders have come out to say it is over. it has been

with the gsa's letter the biden team. spring in our panel. mara eliasson, national political corresponded of national public radio and ben domenech, publisher of "the federalist." we expect byron york here sometime soon. mara, let me start with you. this is the most movement we've seen in beasley the president said his fight continues, but he also said this has to -- the transition has to start. >> yep. i think this is huge. the system is working in the system is moving forward. the president might never concede officially. he might say he's going to run again in 2024. i shall return, but in the meantime, our system has courts that look at the evidence that's presented, deciding cases. we have people who certify elections. that's happening in state after state, including in michigan today, and the president is now saying that the gsa should ascertain, which they did, that joe biden won the election and the transition should begin. this is a huge step forward to handing over power to the new administration. and it means that the president is r

let me tell you a little about gsa and comment on this. head of the gsa is traditionally not a highly political person. they are focused on effectiveness and government. emily murphy is a procurement expert. she worked on the hill for many years. she's a procurement expert. i'm sure she's sitting there wondering how the heck did i get in this position? what is clear in the statute is that she has the independent authority. the statute is a continuity of government statute, the fairness in government statute. there are multiple provisions in the statute that require the gsa to coordinate with other agencies, including the white house. the provision on ascertainment vests that authority with the gsa administrator alone. we host a podcast called transition lab at the partnership public service. earlier this week, we had the gsa administrator from 2000 on. he's a former apple executive, cfo, again, not a very political person. he focused on getting procurement better in the government and found himself in this position. he said that throughout

i want to thank emily murphy at the gsa for her steadfast dedication and loyalty to her country. she's been harassed, threatened and abused and i do want to see this happen to her, her families or employees of gsa. our case strongly continues, we'll keep up the good fight and we'll prevail. nevertheless in the best interest of our country i'm recommending emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and

the gsa is saying they're pointing to 2000 and bush v. gore and are saying that they will abide by and fulfill all requirements and the law and adhere to prior precedent established by the clinton administration in 2000. they keep saying this is just like 2000. is it? >> i think the converse of what's happening here is we are at a moment where we're not seeing it be the case that the trump administration's legal maneuvers so far have been successful and we do have a circumstance in which the elections have been called at least by the states. so at this moment the real question is is there harm in waiting? and the answer is yes. we need to ensure that if there is the presidential transition is going to happen, that it happens as quickly as possible and that we're taking the steps to prepare the incoming administration. that's the moment that the administration that gsa could focus on right now and i think is imperative that they do. >> i just read the quote from republican senator james lankford of oklahoma who is on the oversight committe

the head of the gsa ascertain that by hersf? >> she can, what the president might do, what do you thin about gsa and comment on this. the head of the gsaa is not a highly political person. emy murphy is a procurement experts on the hill. how did get into this. what is clear is the independent authority. is a continuity of government and fairness and multiple provisions in the state that required gsa to coordinate with encies including the white house. the provision on ascertainment with the gsa administrator alone but host a podcast lled transition lab, earlier this week, the administrator from 2000,nd focus on procurement, he found himself in is position. throughout the entire 2000 recount he never had pressure fromhe white house, never had meetings with john podesta who was chief of staff and his decision alone, it was a gsa decision. >> let me ask, focusing a lot on covid-19, in previous transitions whatre the other things homeld security is focused on? what might happen in the next two months, while the transition is happeni

tweeting today, remember, the gsa has been terrific and emily murphy has done a great job but the gsa does not determine who the next president of the united states will be. but now that the general services administration is designating joe biden as president-elect and the apparent winner, it clears the way for the biden team to receive vital resources and right now the president is at the brady room at the podium, we'll go right to the white house. >> despite everything that's taken place with the pandemic, i'm very, uh, thrilled with what's happened on the vaccine front that's been absolutely incredible. nothing like that has ever happened medically, and, uh, i think people are acknowledging that, that it's having a big effect. but the stock market has just broken 30,000, never been broken, that number, that's a sacred number, 30,000, nobody thought they would ever see it. that's the ninth time since, uh, the beginning of 2020. and it's the 48th time that we've broken records in -- during the trump administration and i just want to congratulate all the people within the administrat

david barram, who just became my absolute favorite gsa administrator. thanks for making time tonight. >> thank you. >>> all right. still to come, wildly dangerous information coming from donald trump, wild whispering from dr. scott atlas that will literally almost certainly cost people lives that's next. s that's next. for skin that never holds you back don't settle for silver #1 for diabetic dry skin* #1 for psoriasis symptom relief* and #1 for eczema symptom relief* gold bond champion your skin ♪ i got it all from you ♪ i'm always pushing through ♪ i know we'll make it to the finish line ♪ ♪ i know you're waiting on the other side ♪ ♪ i'm like you on-demand glucose monitoring. because they're always on. another life-changing technology from abbott. so you don't wait for life. you live it. >>> dr. scott atlas, the right wing radiologist and donald trump have been trying for a long time to create this false polarization around responses to the pandemic that's killing people. basically, lockdown completely and do nothing or go completely ba

david barram who just became one of my favorite gsa administrators. thank you. >> thank you. >>> wildly dangerous information coming from donald trump, wild whispering from dr. scott atlas that will literally almost certainly cost people lives. that's next. most certainly cost people lives. that's next. , with vitamin c, d and zinc. season, after season. ace your immune support, with centrum. and now your co-pilot. still a father. but now a friend. still an electric car. just more electrifying. still a night out. but everything fits in. still hard work. just a little easier. still a legend. just more legendary. chevrolet. making life's journey, just better. why?! ahhhh! incoming! ahhhahh! i'm saved! water tastes like, water. so we fixed it. mio. we use 11. eleven. why do an expense report from your phone when you can do it from a machine that jams? i just emailed my wife's social security number to the entire company instead of hr, so... please come back. how hard is your business software working for you? with paycom, employees enter and manage their

tonight the gsa sided with the trump trump campaign argument. tonight shortly after biden won michigan again, gsa had emily murphy issued a one and a half page. >> i was never directly or in drelk directly pressured by my exec ti executive branch officia official-including. president trump almost immediately chimed in and claimed credit for the decision despite murphy says she came to her decision independently so it seems like someone is lying there. he tweeted, "i recommend that emily do what needed to be done and told my team to do the same." the president likely did not write it himself. this may be the closest to a concession statement that we would ever get. some where out there rudy giuliani is burning the midnight oil or melting the midnight grease. this is a milestone and tonight the biden's team is reacting. calling it a needed step to begin tackling the challenges facing our nation. jim acosta is joining us from the white house with the latest. jim, why did this happen finally tonight? how does the president feel about it? what's goin

she says that gsa does not dictate the outcome of legal disputes. obviously talking about donald trump's legal challenges. saying they are issues for constitutional laws and state laws. she goes on to say she strongly urges congress to consider amendments to the act, i guess the presidential transition act, what is that about? >> [laughter] i am not sure what that is about. there are cases still going on in court. the presidents path to victory is narrowing, although the third circuit court of appeals decided to hear the dismissal of one of his lawsuits in pennsylvania today. on january 20, there is going to be an auger ration. if it is joe biden inaugurated, he needs to have a transition before that. wind you, he has been in politics including eight years in the white house. a number of people he is naming to his cabinet, our old hands at washington. but there will have to be a transition between now and generate 20th -- january 20. >> emily murphy says she did not receive direction to delay her determination making this move, what she under pressu

adds a gormer gsa administer, as you were watching this, what was going through your head? >> my concern and focus is and always has been on the american people. the idea the presidential transition process is for smooth operations and continuity of government. its focus is how do we ensure that the american people are getting the service and the security and that their health is being taken care of and that the major issues that are american policy issues are being dealt with, and to have disruptions in that and by the uncertainty that was created, it's truly unfortunate. that's what i was watching. >> i'm sure you were. they're going to have to work, as you said, extra hard and extra fast to catch up with the 20 days they lost. denise turner. >> it's fine. >> you have a fantastic thanksgiving. thank you so much. >> thank you. same to you, don. thank you. >> thank you, thank you. the president says he's going to keep fighting but today another state certified its election results. that's after this. alone because this. come on jessie one more. is the reflection of an unsto

and now that reality is met now in the gsa's letter of ascertainment. one top transition official saying they were getting the ball rolling immediately. johannes abraham saying in a statement that the transition team will begin meeting with federal officials to discuss the pandemic response. have a full accounting of our national security interests, and be in complete understanding of the trump administration's efforts to hollow out government agencies. so they are really hitting the ground running. they've been wanting to get all of this coordination as they can on the pandemic and other issues. finally now getting to that place. but of course, they've also announced that slate of cabinet officials that you just referenced. a return to normal in that regard as well because you're right. you are seeing a lot of obama administration veterans on that list. the clear message when you look at who these picks are is that the premium is being put on government experience and having been in these spaces before. and first read actually frames it really nicely t

has anyone from the white house spoken with gsa with the direct of gsa about the timing of ascertaining who theext president will be? has any pressure been applied to her? >> actually not. gsa will make the determination of ascertainment at the right moment. right now is constitutional process that is being played out, questions being asked in court but the gsa will determine when asking israel. >> one of the question, which is senator lamar alexander today put out a statement encouraging the trump administration in absence of ascertainment to begin allowing the biden team access, full access, to everything they need for a transition, access agencies, to real-time data. what's the harm in doinghat? >> there's a presidential transition act in advance of election we've done everything statutorily required and we will continue to do that. >> it's after the election the. >> thank you. i have a follow-up. has the president or anyone in the administration instructed officials not to engage or have conversations with members of the biden transition team? >> no. i have certainly never instructe

it is good that it is happening, with the gsa releasing those funds, but it is way too late. it should have happened straightaway. the fact that the gsa hadn't conceded, or that donald trump won't concede, is parfor donald trump won't concede, is par for the course. donald trump won't concede, is parfor the course. i must say, in terms of the tweets that donald trump sent out saying that he was acting in the best interests of the country, it is a risible statement. this man is doing almost everything he can to degrade and lasting damage to the country. he seems to wa nt damage to the country. he seems to want to hurt the country that rejected him in the election, and he is succeeding in that effort, thankfully a little bit in the afternoon on january 20, that damage is going to stop. but there is a lot that has to heal thanks to donald trump and his supporters. surely the lasting damage is in him encouraging the 73 or 7a million people who voted for him to distrust the entire process? that is exactly right. this is kind of epistemological chaos is creating. he has invented a

the gsa had emily murphy had issued a one and a half page statement. most of it, defense of her own actions. quoting murphy now. i was never dlektly or indirectly pressured by any executive branch official, including those that work at the white house or gsa with regard to the substance or timing of my decision. to be clear, i did not receive any direction to delay my determination. in the statement, murphy says she took her role, quote, seriously. and that her decision was not based on fear or favoritism. she also said she's received death threats or threats, i should say, directly aimed at her staff, family, and herself. president trump, almost immediately, chimed in. he claimed credit for the decision, despite murphy saying she came to her decision, quote, independently. so, it seems someone is lying there. he tweeted quote, i am recommending that emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same. the complete sentences and sophisticat sophisticated verbiage indicate the president, lik

it is a gsa decision. it's totally independent. hopefully she can be considered. >> let me ask congressman's turn off and -- in previous transitions, what are some of the other two that homeland security has focused on? what might happen in the next two months both while the transition itself is happening, while people are preparing to come in, and in the first few weeks of the administration? what are people looking for? >> let me begin by saying we have a few things in our transition. one is we were worried about terrorism because this is going to be the first change of administration since we had experienced september 11. got of course, we were in combat in afghanistan and iraq as well. there were a whole set of security issues. we were worried about a pandemic. i think it was even flew was a threat. it was circulating around and we actually put together exercise so that the incoming team could really get a feel for what the leaders are that you could use. eight and we were concerned about potential violence, and terrorism with

in response to the gsa move, the executive director of the biden-harris transition team wrote today's decision is needed. >>> the gsa move comes as michigan certified its electoral votes this afternoon for joe biden. biden's team announced key cabinet picks today. he has chosen anthony blink torn serve as secretary of state. he previously worked in the obama administration ask was biden's top foreign policy advisor during the campaign. former secretary of state john kerr by has been tapped as the presidential envoy for climate. biden will also nominate alejandro for homeland security secretary. >>> joe biden is going to keep his promises. he laid out plans on this campaign that are bold and that meet the crises that we're facing. >> the trump campaign is still fighting to try to stop the certification of the election in pennsylvania. counties there are voting today to send their local results to the pennsylvania department of state. >>> joining us now to talk more about the transition is loyola law professor jessica levinson. what is your reaction to the decisions today to allow biden

john, emily murphy's former chief of staff at the gsa and also the former general counsel at the gsa, who is now in the private sector. so jack st. john was the gsa's top lawyer, and what he told "the washington post" in defending emily murphy was, quote, by law the gsa administrator reports to the president and is subject to his direction and control so the extent emily has been instructed to withhold ascertainment, she really doesn't have any good options." that was the former lawyer for the general services administration, who was also emily murphy's former chief of staff, telling you that emily murphy was being instructed by the president to withhold ascertainment illegally instructed. jack st. john was wrong about the law. the law does not give the president the power to withhold ascertainment. the law orders emily murphy to ascertain the apparent winner as soon as that information is available and it was available on november 7th. and then last week another unnamed friend of emily murphy defended her this way to "the washington post" after being identified as an unnamed senior t

while there may be the first gsa administrator who does this, a gsa administrator would allow an bitered president unwilling to concede to sunvert the will of the people and put this country in danger for not allowing a transition to take place. >> well, congressman, knowing her in your role as the head of the subcommittee that oversees the gsa, do you have any sense that the number of republican lawmakers who are coming, have come out in recent days and may continue to come out and say, look, the president needs to allow the transition to move forward, could have an impact on her or do you feel like the only thing she's going to respond to is something directly from the white house? >> i, you know, she served with this president for four years. it's hard to imagine that she's going to see this. you know, i'm hoping that we're seeing the last acts of an autocratic president. so i can't imagine that she would believe that that would come. i think it would be much easier to make this decision, as tough as she imagines it is, and i understand her concerns, is, you know, the opposite is far

erica, we saw that gsa formally signed off on the transition last night but there was still a question of when joe biden was going to start receiving those classified intelligence briefings that typically someone gets as soon as they have won the presidential election and cnn has now learned from a white house official that the white house has signed off on president-elect biden receiving what is known as the president's daily brief. that is that written assessment prepared by the office of the director of national intelligence that the president and his top advisers get. it's been a point of contention at some points of donald trump's presidency but we are now told that biden does have access to get that and, right now, coordination is under way for him to receive his first briefing of that matter and so this is just another step in the process to move forward to this transition of power, the federal government from donald trump to joe biden. >> kaitlan, thank you. >>> joining me now, is nia love and paul. joe biden will now receive the president's daily briefing, i think this is one

and then we have of course the gsa. and emily murphy finally going ahead and giving the okay to the ascertainment of this transition. although it should be noted she did so in a letter which largely condemned the media coverage of herself and she never uses the phrase president-elect in order to describe joe biden. also within the president's inner circle, in the last couple of days, some of his advisers, pat cipollone, chief of staff mark meadows suggested to him that it was indeed time to start cooperating with the transition. he never had to say that he was going to concede. and that he could in fact still fight some of -- you know, with the legal challenges, but they had to give the okay, that the behind the scenes work began. as the president as we reported today, again, growing angry and frustrated with rudy giuliani who he is indeed still talking to. but told people around him in recent days he felt like giuliani had oversold his legal case. that he was -- the president was humiliated by watching giuliani on stag

>> reporter: yeah, the president tried to frame it as if he had recommended that to the gsa. but in that letter to the biden team, emily murphy who runs the gsa said it was a decision she came to independently and attributed it to the string of court losses the president has suffered the last few days. that is something he has talked about with his legal team, and we're told he did several times yesterday as they were talking about a path forward and what the president's next steps were going to be. while you've seen moves that looks like the president could be coming closer to publicly acknowledging reality as they drop powell from the legal team in recent days, the president has given his blessing to this gsa transition. the president is also vowing to move ahead with his legal fights, and he's still pushing conspiracy theories on twitter. it's three weeks after the election, and he still has not acknowledged joe biden's win. so you've got to pair those two things with each other, and the president is still attempting to undermine democracy with those statements. >> kaitlan

emily murphy, head of the gsa, remarkably holds the keys. she's not talking. do have some new reporting on what she might be thinking. that's next. between ideas and inspiration, trauma and treatment. gained a couple of more pounds. that's good for the babies. between the moments that make us who we are, and keeping them safe, private and secure, there's webex. ♪ ♪ beautiful. >>> like it or not, emily murphy is fast becoming something of a household name. she's an attorney and trump appointee who leads the general services administration. she has refused to sign off on the transition paperwork from the outgoing trump administration to the new biden administration. christina holmes joins me now with some insight. what are you learning about why she hasn't signed off yet? >> first i want to note, we talked to friends, colleagues, former colleagues, all of whom, not all, but most i will say, of whom didn't actually agree with how she was handling this, but they did give us insight into why she was handling it the way she was. she's struggling. receiving death

. >> reporter: news that the gsa is authorized work with the biden team cost a political earthquake in washington but as the tremors began to subside exactly what that meant came into sharper focus. it was his first ten 18 hours when it landed it undeniably rocked washington, donald trump acknowledging for the first time since the election a likely transition to a biden administration the president writing on twitter in the best interest of our country he was recommending gsa leadership do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols and told my team to do the same. the gsa said because of recent developments involving legal challenges and certifications of election results i have determined you may access the post election resources and services described in section 3 of the act upon request. in its statement the biden team call that a needed step to begin tackling the challenges facing our nation including getting the pandemic under control and our economy back on track. the gsa decision locks federal funds for the biden transition team, grants access to classified informat

document the transition i mean, the gsa okaying the transition. it was found just after that very difficult transition between bush and gore in the year 2000, 911 following verse shortly afterwards was a feeling the united states took its eye off of the ball then. feeling the united states took its eye off of the ball thenlj think so. 0ne its eye off of the ball thenlj think so. one of the president trump in the last four years, nearly four years of his presidency has been shattering those presidential norms and to jewish traditions. i think it's not surprised that he's seeing his presidency that way. but also going back to 2000 there was obviously a lot of anger at the time, but there was still, it still ended cordially. there's still hope that they could happen. i'm sure there are those that would hope that donald trump would invitejoe bite into the white house to formally recognise his win, that melania trump would have a conversation with joe that melania trump would have a conversation withjoe biden's wife drjill biden. in the same way that m

the gsa head writes, i have always strived to do what's right. please know that i came to my decision independently based on the law and available facts. i was never directly or indirectly pressured by any executive branch official, including those that work at the white house or gsa with regard to the substance or timing of my decision. carefully worded and with good reason. you know why? she was just doing her job. she was refusing to do her job. and on what basis? there was no legitimate basis. there were no facts she could draw on to question the results or the apparent winner. so what did she base it on? she was never pressured. then how about this tweet that followed right after her transition? trump tweeted, i told her to do this. i'm not going to read it. it's no need to anymore. lie, defy, deny. that is why he lost. and get this, he's worried that this tantrum that has kept us from dealing with a pandemic in our duly elected president-elect, it may hurt his brand. know this. this is your brand, mr. trump. you will forever be remembered a

the gsa is not an acronym that we all talk about all the time. but the gsa here is merely a reflection of the president of the united states, who is sitting behind you refusing to accept reality. >> reporter: that's right, erin. and you can see how this puts emily murphy, the gsa administrator, in an incredibly tenuous position because she's the one who has to make this call and fwhoun wants to make this call until the president himself has made it. that's you why see the effect it's had on vice president mike pence who has not phoned senator kamala harris to congratulate her on becoming the president-elect because his boss has not done that either. now, emily murphy is in the headlines as the administrator of gsa because she's the one who has to i.d. the biden campaign as the winners of the election so they can move forward. and jeff is right. it's about all of this money. but it's not only just that. it's also office space, contact with office agency heads. it's e-mail addresses. it's all of this information that typically is something they jum

the gsa head writes, i've always strived to do what's right. please know that i came to my decision independently based on the law and available facts. 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. carefully worded and with good reason. you know why? she was just doing her job. she was refusing to do her job. and on what basis? there was no legitimate basis. there were no facts she could draw on to question the results or the apparent winner. so what did she base it on? she was never pressured? then how about this tweet that followed right after her transition? trump tweeted, i told her to do this. i'm not going to read it. there's no need to anymore. lie, defy, deny. that is why he lost. now, get this. he's worried that this tantrump that has kept us from dealing with the pandemic and our duly elected president-elect, it may hurt his brand. know this. this is your brand, mr. trump. you will forever be remem

i want to start with the fairly obscure decision by the gsa. my understanding is the white house sent someone from the white house counsel's office over to the gsa ten days ago to be general counsel there, and the gsa is the one that gives the green light to, like, start up the transition and let the money go and set up email addresses and clearances and all that. what does it mean if that can't happen? >> every day matters during a transition. it is absolutely critical that we put the politics aside and that we allow the proper transition of our government. that's what our democracy is founded on, the peaceful transition of government. and for this person to continue to play politics when this election has been decided is really outrageous and harmful. we're in the middle of a covid epidemic. vice-president biden, president-elect biden needs to be able to move forward to talk to hhs, to talk to people throughout the administration, to understand what needs to be done on day one to begin to get this epidemic under control. >> yeah, just so folk

she added the gsa and the administrator will continue to abide by fulfill all requirements under the law and adhere to prior precedent established by the clinton administration in 2000. what is this ascertainment? are you familiar with that? ascertainmentm comes from the statute itself. thean be thought of of winner of the race is the president-elect. what the trump administration is doing is using that as precedent, saying that remember in 2000, the year of the hanging theren florida, because was a recount under a great deal of controversy, what was not clear was who the president-elect was going to be. administration decided to not recognize the w bush folks as having won the presidency. they have been steps updated since then. but having said that, it is the case that bill clinton within to george w.ned up bush and allowed the people to look at some classified briefings so they were not coming in completely cold. same thingdone the for the biden transition team. the: what did we learn from 2000 and 2001 experience with george to view bush winning the presidency, his transition del

has anyone from the white house spoken with gsa, with a gsa,irector of about the time for ascertaining when the next president will be? >> absolutely not. gsa will make the determination of ascertainment at the right moment. right now, there is a constitutional process being played out, questions being asked in court, but they will determine when it is reached. >> senator lamar alexander has put out a statement encouraging the trump administration in the absence of ascertainment to begin allowing the biden team access, full access to everything they need for a transition, access to real-time data. >> there is a presidential transition act that determines exactly what an administration needs to do in advance of an election. we have done everything statutorily required. we will continue to do that. >> it's after election. >> i have a question for a follow-up. has the president or anyone in the administration instructed officials not to engage or have conversations with members of the biden transition team? >> i certainly have never been instructed that. i've never heard of on instruction

the law gives that authority with gsa and gsa alone and the determination is whether the outcome of the election is clear. yesterday, president george w. bush certainly not a fan of the democrats, certainly not a supporter of joe biden, said the outcome of the election is clear. that's the trigger further transition formally started. judy: david marchick with the center for presidential transitions, thank you. david: thank you for having me. stephanie: i'm stephanie sy with "newshour" west. we will return to judy woodruff and the rest of the program after the latest headlines. late this evening, the food and drug administration said it authorized emergency use of an experimental antibody treatment for covid-19. the eli lilly drug shows it can reduce mild-to-moderate symptoms in patients who do not require hospitalizations. earlier today, pfizer announced progress on a covid vaccine. after the headlines, we will have an interview with the pfizer ceo. . and response on wall street the , dow shot up 1,500 points before ending with a gain of 834 , nearly 3% to close at 29,157. , the nasdaq

gsa administrator emily murphy is in charge of this. , to biden's transition team. tell us. >> yeah, that's right. emily murphy is a trump accomplice cal appointee. this is the general services administration that has to sign off on an election for several things to happen. we have talked to several people, who say that emily is struggling. she has received death threats from democrats and republicans, but she believes she's following precede precedent. the only time that gsa took over this role that has been a candidate that refused to concede is in 2000. when president bush and al gore were waiting for the recount. she believes even though she's following this precedent. we have spoken to many, as well as the gsa administrator in the clinton administration, who all say this is a completely different scenario. they say that biden has crossed the threshold to be the president. so the big question now is, what exactly is going to put murphy over the tipping point? we have seen court case after court case get thrown out to make this final decision. >> i also know you'

she has joined controversy before, the gsa oversees the least. as "the washington post" reports under her leadership, the agency refused to provide monthly income of trump's. none of this is normal. some of it is dangerous and the days leading up to january 20th are sure to be filled with a lot of distraction and rhetoric and perhaps conflicts but none of it will change the simple fact that donald trump lost, joe biden won and will be the next president. with all that in mind there is breaking news that comes from the justice department, the attorney general of the united states and the possibility of voter fraud. under ordinary circumstances that story would be news but under this circumstance coming from this general, there are plenty of questions. jim acosta is joining us more. the attorney general has taken an unprecedented step in the after math of the election, what is he doing? >> reporter: this transition is so 2020. the attorney general william barr memoed to prosecutors they should investigate in allegation of voter fraud. the attorney

this coming after gsa ascertained joe biden was the apparent winner of the election. sayingresident trump this was in the best interest of the country, but at the same time saying he will continue to keep up the good fight but he did in the best interest of the united states. we know that president trump has many lawsuits across different states in the election fraud allegations that so far have been baseless and without evidence. here's a quick check of the latest business flash headlines. macy's surged on signs that investors are ready to head back the mall. shares jumped as much as 19%. other department store operators rose as vaccine progress and decent earnings bolstered optimism that shopping will revive next year. small base retailers have been among the most battered stocks this year amid changes in consumer behavior. reports from new york say there's higher a jp morgan to help with the valuation a possible sale of reebok. the new york times citing unidentified sources and analysts which reebok could fetch about $1 billion. the pandemic has hit both companies

so i expect the gsa would be no different. no, it's very difficult to really have any sway or any persuasion over this person. >> you've got another colleague now, rick scott, testing positive today, announcing that today, with the coronavirus. and we know about senator grassley, of course, and are wishing him well. but families across the country are facing a huge economic crisis, as well as the health care workers who don't have supplies. money is running out. we heard from governor beshear yesterday that the governors will be out of money by the end of december for any of the -- not only unemployment insurance, but ppe and other supplies. what can be done? can some covid relief be attached to the budget bill? >> absolutely yes. it can happen. but it should happen, immediately after thanksgiving. there is a group of us, a bipartisan group, sitting down and going through the basics. the interest in this is growing on both sides of the aisle. we need to do something and do it fast. when we're talking about unemployment benefit