Current and ex-Trump officials are quietly reaching out to the Biden transition team, even as Trump continues to challenge the 2020 election results, CNN reports
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- Current and former Trump administration officials are informally reaching out to members of the Biden-Harris transition team to offer a helping hand, CNN reported Wednesday.
- The outreach effort contrasts President Donald Trump and his allies, who have been making the transition to the Biden administration difficult, according to reports.
- A current Trump official confirmed the outreach, telling CNN that the conversations thus far have been informal and are meant to help the Biden administration's transition into the White House.
- "Nothing that would get us in trouble," the Trump official told CNN. "Just an offer to be of help. They know what we mean, and what we can-and-can't do or say."
- The General Services Administration still has yet to formally acknowledge President-elect Joe Biden's win in the 2020 election, impeding the formal transition process between administrations.
- "It requires more than former officials choosing to step forward and be helpful to ensure a smooth transition of power," Kate Bedingfield, Biden's deputy campaign manager and transition adviser, told CNN.
- "GSA should follow the law and ascertain the results of the election so that Americans get a smooth and effective hand off between administrations," Bedingfield continued.
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Current and former Trump officials are quietly reaching out to the President-elect Joe Biden's transition team, even as President Donald Trump still has yet to concede the 2020 election, CNN reported Wednesday.
One former White House official who resigned from the administration earlier this year told CNN that he emailed to offer to help someone who has a similar role as him in the Biden transition.
Another ex-Trump official told CNN that they view that the secret outreach demonstrates prioritizing the country over partisanship.
A current Trump official confirmed the outreach, telling CNN that the conversations thus far have been informal but are meant to help the Biden administration's transition into the White House.
"Nothing that would get us in trouble," the official told CNN. "Just an offer to be of help. They know what we mean, and what we can-and-can't do or say."
A Biden aide told CNN that the help has been welcomed by the Biden team, and a senior Biden advisor also acknowledged the outreach to CNN but declined to comment on the matter.
The outreach effort comes in contrast to President Donald Trump and his allies, who, according to reports, have been making the transition to the Biden administration difficult.
The Biden team has not been able to access resources that are typically made available to the president-elect as Trump continues to tout election-related conspiracy theories, including election fraud, voter fraud, and issues with mail-in voting — which have been disputed by experts.
Lawsuits filed by both the Trump campaign and Trump supporters across the country are also crumbling as the president enters his third week refusing to concede to Biden.
The General Services Administration (GSA), still has yet to formally acknowledge Biden's win in the 2020 election, impeding the formal transfer of power from the Trump administration to the Biden-Harris administration.
"It requires more than former officials choosing to step forward and be helpful to ensure a smooth transition of power," Kate Bedingfield, Biden's deputy campaign manager and transition adviser, told CNN. "GSA should follow the law and ascertain the results of the election so that Americans get a smooth and effective handoff between administrations."
Representatives from the White House did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
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