The director of the White House Office of Management and Budget is accusing President-elect Joe Biden and his aides of lying about obstruction during the presidential transition — saying that, in fact, there have been 45 meetings since late November.
Biden on Monday accused the budget office of putting up “roadblocks” to the transition, but outgoing OMB Director Russ Vought says in a Thursday letter to Biden transition co-chairman Ted Kaufman that the claim is untrue.
“I am writing to correct several false statements that members of the Biden Transition Team (BTT) are continuing to make regarding the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) cooperation with your team,” Vought writes in a letter seen exclusively by The Post.
“We have taken more than 45 meetings with your staff to discuss specific issues, operational questions, and more. It is appropriate for OMB to share information about ongoing programs so the BTT can use it to develop its own policies. We have provided all information requested from OMB about ongoing programs.”
Sources tell The Post that they surmise the Biden transition office wants to begin calling the shots before Biden takes office on Jan. 20, and that they believe Biden may be accusing OMB of obstruction to lay the groundwork to blame the officials for any bumps after taking office, including with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Biden and his aides also say Defense Department officials are not cooperating fully.
“We’ve encountered roadblocks from the political leadership in the Department of Defense and the Office of Management and Budget. Right now, we just aren’t getting all the information that we need from the outgoing administration in key national security areas,” Biden said at a Monday press conference in Wilmington, Delaware.
“It’s nothing short, in my view, of irresponsibility,” Biden said.
On Wednesday, Johannes Abraham, the transition’s executive director, echoed Biden, telling reporters, “OMB leadership’s refusal to fully cooperate impairs our ability to identify opportunities to maximize the relief going out to Americans … (Read more)
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