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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 10 November 2020
Trump fires Esper as Pentagon chief after election defeat

WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- ic members of Congress.
dent Donald Trump fired “Dismissing politically ap-
Defense Secretary Mark pointed national security
Esper on Monday, an un- leaders during a transition
precedented move by a is a destabilizing move that
president struggling to ac- will only embolden our ad-
cept election defeat and versaries and put our coun-
angry at a Pentagon lead- try at greater risk,” said
er he believes wasn’t loyal Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash.,
enough. chairman of the House
The decision was widely Armed Services Commit-
expected as Trump had tee. “President Trump’s de-
grown increasingly unhap- cision to fire Secretary Esper
py with Esper over the sum- out of spite is not just child-
mer, including sharp differ- ish, it’s also reckless.”
ences between them over Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., a
the use of the military dur- member of the Senate
ing the civil unrest in June. Armed Services and For-
But the move could unset- eign Relations Committees,
tle international allies and said firing Esper “in the last
Pentagon leadership and weeks of a lame duck Pres-
injects another element of idency serves no purpose
uncertainty to a rocky tran- and only demonstrates an
sition period as Joe Biden instability harmful to Ameri-
prepares to assume the In this Sept. 22, 2020, file photoSecretary of Defense Mark Esper speaks before a meeting with can national defense.”
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, at the Pentagon in Washington. President Donald Trump has
presidency. fired Esper. Former military leaders also
Presidents who win reelec- Associated Press weighed in. Jim Stavridis, a
tion often replace Cabi- retired Navy admiral who
net members, including Counterterrorism Center, gon in the early afternoon condition of anonymity to served as a senior aide to
the secretary of defense, will serve as acting secre- to take over the job, and discuss internal matters. Republican Donald Rums-
but losing presidents have tary, sidestepping the de- that White House chief of Trump’s abrupt move to feld when Rumsfeld was
kept their Pentagon chiefs partment’s No.2-ranking of- staff Mark Meadows in- dump Esper triggers ques- defense secretary, wrote
in place until Inauguration ficial, Deputy Defense Sec- formed Esper of the firing tions about what the presi- on Twitter that Esper’s firing
Day to preserve stability in retary David Norquist. before Trump announced dent may try to do in the made no sense. ”Things are
the name of national secu- “Chris will do a GREAT job!” the move on Twitter. Other next few months before he already unstable interna-
rity. Trump tweeted. “Mark Es- top defense and Pentagon leaves office, including ad- tionally, and this does not
Trump announced the per has been terminated. I officials, however, were justments in the presence help,” he wrote. “We need
news in a tweet, saying would like to thank him for caught by surprise and of troops overseas or other to try and create stability in
that “effective immedi- his service.” learned of the decision national security changes. transition time — hopefully
ately” Christopher Miller, U.S. defense officials said through the media. The The decision was quickly opponents will not try and
the director of the National Miller arrived at the Penta- defense officials spoke on condemned by Democrat- take advantage.”q

What's ascertainment? The green light to launch transition

By ZEKE MILLER WHY HASN'T IT HAPPENED eral dollars to flow to Biden's
WASHINGTON (AP) — The YET? transition team and opens
course of President-elect Spokesperson Pamela Pen- the doors of the federal
Joe Biden's transition to nington said in a statement government to hundreds of
power is dependent in part that "GSA and its Adminis- Biden staffers, so they can
on an obscure declaration trator will continue to abide begin assessing agency
called "ascertainment." by, and fulfill, all require- operations ahead of Inau-
Here are some details on ments under the law," but guration Day on Jan. 20. A
that process: the agency has not said delay in recognizing Biden
WHAT IS ASCERTAINMENT? why the decision to recog- as the next president could
The formal presidential nize Joe Biden as the pres- slow federal resources to
transition doesn't begin un- ident-elect has not been assist the Biden-Harris team
til the administrator of the made. GSA is an executive in filling about 4,000 po-
federal General Services branch agency. Its admin- litical appointments across
Administration ascertains istrator, Emily Murphy, is a the government — includ- President-elect Joe Biden speaks Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, at The
the "apparent successful Trump appointee, but the ing critical national security Queen theater in Wilmington, Del.
candidate" in the general ascertainment decision is and health postings. Associated Press
election. Neither the Presi- supposed to be apolitical. WHY DOES IT MATTER?
dential Transition Act nor The White House did not Slowing the pace of the sition after Trump tossed after the Florida recount
federal regulations specify say whether there have transition could hamstring aside carefully prepared fight was settled. The ab-
how that determination been conversations on the a new administration right plans the day after his vic- breviated transition pro-
should be made. That de- matter between officials out of the gate. The Trump tory. cess was identified by the
cision green lights the en- there and at GSA. administration, experts say, HAS THIS DELAY EVER HAP- 9/11 Commission Report as
tire federal government's WHAT'S AT STAKE? never fully recovered from PENED BEFORE? contributing to the nation's
moves toward preparing The determination clears the slow pace of hiring from In 2000, the GSA determi- unpreparedness for the
for a handover of power. the way for millions of fed- its mismanaged 2016 tran- nation was delayed until crisis.q