Defense Dept. officials halted cooperation: Biden team

Defense Dept. officials halted cooperation: Biden team

[NFA] Aides to President-elect Joe Biden who are trying to arrange a smooth transition of power from the Trump administration have met resistance to their requests for information from some Pentagon officials, an official on Biden's team said on Friday.

This report produced by Jillian Kitchener.

Aides to President-elect Joe Biden, who are trying to arrange a smooth transition of power have met resistance to their requests for information from some officials at the Pentagon, an official on Biden's team said on Friday.

After Biden beat President Donald Trump in the Nov.

3 election, the Democrat's team began meeting with administration officials in late November to coordinate the handover.

That's because Trump – who has refused to concede defeat - and his administration only authorized cooperation with Biden on Nov.

23.

But some of Trump's political appointees in the defense department have recently stopped cooperating.

Yohannes Abraham, the executive director of Biden's transition team, told reporters in a call quote: "We were concerned to learn this week about an abrupt halt in the already limited cooperation there.” Earlier on Friday, acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller said in a statement that some meetings have been rescheduled but none have been canceled or refused, saying the department and the transition team had agreed to a two-week pause in discussions over the December holiday period.

Abraham said no such agreement existed, but that he expects the Department of Defense to reverse the decision.