‘Transfer of presidential power won’t be delayed’ senate majority leader McConnell

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday that the presidential transition would be orderly, despite concerns that the General Services Administration is delaying the process.

During a news conference, a reporter asked McConnell (R-Ky.) why the GSA had yet to launch the official transition process. The majority leader responded that legal disputes over the election would be settled in court first, but he promised that "all of this will happen right on time and we'll swear in the next administration on Jan 20," reports Politico. 

"We're going to have an orderly transfer from this administration to the next one," McConnell said. "What we all say about it is, frankly, irrelevant."

The comment follows a decision by Emily Murphy, the head of the GSA and an appointee of President Donald Trump, to decline to certify Joe Biden as the official winner of the election, despite multiple news outlets calling the race for him. The delay is blocking the president-elect's team from coordinating with federal agencies in preparation for his transfer of power.

As of now, Biden and his team are beginning the transition process without the help of the GSA by setting up their own "agency review teams." Meanwhile, Democratic Reps. Bill Pascrell of New Jersey, Gerry Connolly of Virginia and Dina Titus of Nevada sent a letter to Murphy on Monday, demanding she explain the reasoning behind her delay by Wednesday night.