U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on Monday complained that his national security team had encountered “obstruction” and “roadblocks” of political leadership at the Pentagon.
The criticism came after the Department of Defense abruptly suspended briefings with the Biden transition team earlier this month, and that Donald Trump still wanted to reverse his election defeat.
“From some agencies, our team has received exemplary cooperation,” Biden said in Wilmington, Delaware, after a briefing by its foreign policy advisers. “Of others, especially the Ministry of Defense, we have hampered the political leadership of the department.”
Both the Department of Defense and the Office of Management and Budget have put up ‘roadblocks’, he added. “At the moment we are not getting all the information we need from the outgoing government in important national security areas. In my opinion, this is nothing less than irresponsibility. ”
The president-elect, who takes office on January 20, warned that his team must have “full insight” into the budget process at the Pentagon “to avoid a window of confusion or overtaking that our opponents may try to exploit”.
The remarks were the latest sign of Biden’s heightened willingness to take off his gloves in condemnation of Trump’s unwillingness to take part in a speedy and orderly transition. The current president has still not invited his successor to the White House or confirmed his tradition.
Trump fired his Secretary of Defense Mark Esper after the November 3 election, replacing him with Christopher Miller in his acting capacity.
Earlier this month, Biden’s team complained about a sudden shutdown in collaboration with the Pentagon. The Department of Defense claims that meetings have been postponed until January due to a ‘mutually agreed’ break, but the transition team has insisted that no such agreement exists.
The team also said they were resisting requests for information from some Pentagon officials. But a senior defense official told Reuters news agency that the Pentagon had conducted 163 interviews and 181 requests for information and that it would continue to provide information and meetings.
Trump has refused to acknowledge Biden’s victory, claiming widespread voter fraud for which there is no evidence and dozens of defeats in court. His administration only approved the collaboration with Biden on November 23rd.
Trump has promised to take a final stand on January 6 when Congress convenes to confirm the results of the Electoral College. Jenna Ellis, a member of his legal team, tweeted on Monday: “President Trump should never concede the election.”
Biden was briefed Monday by his nominees for secretary of state, defense and homeland security, as well as his incoming national security adviser. He said his team found that agencies “did critical damage to our security” during Trump’s term.
‘Many of them have been eroded by staff, capacity and morale. There are policy processes that have weakened or due to the decay of our alliances. This makes it harder for our government to protect the American people. ”
Biden’s foreign policy team has been described as a return to experience, expertise and the Barack Obama era, with Tony Blinken nominated as Secretary of State, Jake Sullivan as National Security Adviser and John Kerry in a new role as Special Presidential envoy for climate. Lloyd Austin is facing a confirmation battle as secretary of defense because he is a retired general who could potentially undermine the principle of civilian control of the military.