President-elect Joe Biden said on Monday afternoon that the dismissed Trump administration had purposely destroyed the main political teams that oversee defense and national security, which Biden said had undermined America’s global leadership role and made it his own. difficult presidential transition itself.
“The truth is that many of the agencies that are essential to our security have suffered enormous damage,” said Biden during a brief speech by the Queen theater in Wilmington, Del. “Many of them have been depleted in personnel, capacity and morals. Political processes have atrophied or been put aside. “
Biden also accused the White House of blocking its transition team, especially on defense policy issues. The president-elect referred to these alleged assaults as an obstruction by the outgoing government.
“At the moment, we are simply not getting all the information we need from the outgoing administration in the main areas of national security. It is nothing less than irresponsibility, in my opinion, ”said Biden.
Recent reports indicate that top political appointees in the Department of Defense were instructing career officials to retain critical information, including intelligence regarding SolarWinds’ recent massive cyber attack, from their colleagues on the Biden team. Biden had previously made comments expressing his frustration at the government’s lack of transparency at SolarWinds.
The Department of Defense has vehemently denied these allegations, although Biden himself said his team encountered obstacles in the Department of Defense and the Office of Administration and Budget.
Trump has yet to grant an election that he clearly lost, despite members of his own confession making silent concessions and resignations. The president, housed on his property in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, has been very quiet for the past few days.
Before their comments, Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris met with key national security and defense advisers who, according to Biden, emphasized the need for his team to rebuild diplomatic relations with allies who have lost faith in American leadership.
Biden also briefly mentioned the Nashville bombing on Christmas Day, in particular thanking the first respondents.
“I want to thank the Nashville police department, particularly the five policemen and first responders who helped save human lives,” he said. “I want the people of Nashville to know that the hearts of the American people are with them.”
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