washington – President-elect Donald Trump his team has yet to sign the agreements needed to officially begin the transition to the White House; That means the government can’t provide security clearances and briefings to administration officials, and the FBI can’t view his information. Selection rush for cabinet and other key posts.

The importance of grueling federal background checks and Trump’s team’s failure to subject the president-elect’s picks to such scrutiny were made clear Thursday in the former Florida Representative’s speech. Matt Gaetz Trump’s pick for attorney general was withdrawn following ongoing review. federal sex trafficking investigation this cast doubt on whether he could be confirmed by the Senate.

The continued delay in agreeing to begin the formal transition process could eventually force senators to vote on Trump’s pick without the benefit of regular background checks.

This process is designed to uncover personal issues, criminal histories and other potential red flags that could raise questions about a candidate’s suitability for key jobs.

Beyond the top personnel picks Trump has already announced, good governance activists and other experts on the transition have been warning for weeks that refusing to sign transition documents could undermine the transition process. make impossible For potentially hundreds of Trump national security officials to take leave. This means that the new administration will not be fully ready to govern the country when Trump comes to power on Inauguration Day on January 20, 2025.

Let’s take a look at where things stand and what impact the delay might have:

What didn’t the Trump team sign and why?

At issue is the memorandum of understanding in which the new administration agrees to work with the outgoing administration and also makes requests for name and background checks. The FBI then undertakes to report negative information revealed during the process to the White House.

Congressionally mandated ethics disclosures and donor contribution limits are required as part of the agreements needed to begin the transition process. Reluctance to comply with them was a factor in the Trump team’s hesitancy to sign them, according to a person with knowledge of the process who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal discussions.

Is it too late?

No. There is still time for agreements to be signed.

A Justice Department spokesman said discussions are ongoing with the Trump transition team, which did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.

But transition spokesman Brian Hughes said earlier this month that the team’s “lawyers continue to communicate constructively with attorneys and officials.” President Joe Biden ‘s outgoing administration and was promised an update “once the decision has been made.”

Trump’s team, meanwhile, has relied on internal campaign aides, allied groups and outside law firms to bolster staff efforts.

Trump has been skeptical of FBI leadership for years. Election interference investigation in Russia this marred his first term and more recently due to FBI investigations into him hoarding of confidential documents and his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which led to him being sued last year.

What impact does this have?

In a normal transition period, the new administration would use the time before taking office to begin working to fill 4,000 government positions with political appointees or people hand-picked for their jobs by Trump’s team.

This includes everyone from the secretary of state and heads of other Cabinet departments to those elected to serve part-time on boards and commissions. Approximately 1,200 of these presidential appointments require Senate confirmation. Senate moves to Republican control In January.

Trump moved forward at record-breaking speed Explain your important choicesand Senate GOP leaders say they plan to begin confirmation hearings immediately after the new Congress convenes on Jan. 3; this would potentially allow them to begin voting on candidates as early as Inauguration Day.

However MPs also complain About what they see as inadequate screening of the choices they are being asked to evaluate. Some Senate Republicans have expressed concerns about malpractice in some of Trump’s picks, and two House Democrats — Don Beyer of Virginia and Ted Lieu of California — have suggested the president consider regulating the FBI’s role in background checks on political appointees. submitted a proposal aimed at

And while Gaetz is no longer an issue, he’s not Trump’s only pick with an eyebrow-raising past.

The president-elect’s nominee for secretary of defense, former Fox News star Pete Hegseth, He was accused of sexual assault in 2017 He was not charged after speaking at an event organized by Republican women in Monterey, California, but after a police investigation. A. police report It contains graphic details of the sexual assault allegations, published on Thursday.

selection former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard His job as director of national intelligence alarmed some U.S. intelligence analysts. They point to his past criticism of Ukraine, Comments supporting Russia Talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a close ally of Russia and Iran.

What impact will this have?

New members of the Trump administration are not getting briefings and other information from their outgoing colleagues in the Biden administration that could help them better prepare for their new jobs. And Trump’s appointees to positions requiring security clearances will not start without the required background check.

But once the president-elect takes office, he could order officials to be given security clearances, as he has done before. his son-in-law Jared Kushner is in his first term.

It is not yet possible to know whether the delay experienced so far will have longer-term effects.

The delayed process may not be such a big deal, given that Trump is already serving as president and has a much better understanding of how to run an administration than he did in 2016, when he won his first term.

But there are precedents for the problems. 9/11 Commission He argued that the disputed election in 2000 delayed the start of the transition between outgoing President Bill Clinton and new President George W. Bush. until December — raised questions about national security gaps from one administration to the next that could have contributed to the United States being unprepared for the September 11 attacks the following year.

“The 36-day delay shortened the normal transition period by half,” creating “a waste of time for the new administration to identify, hire, confirm, and obtain Senate confirmation of key appointments.” commission report It was stated in 2004.

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