Politics

Democratic Lawmakers Call For Investigation Of ‘Chaotic’ Trump Transition

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Democratic lawmakers Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Elijah Cummings requested an investigation into President-elect Donald Trump’s transition effort Wednesday, asking whether the “disarray” in the transition team has “affected his ability to effectively serve the American public.”

Warren, a Massachusetts senator, and Cummings, who is the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, asked the non-partisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate potential conflicts of interest, violations of security protocols and lack of transparency within the transition. (RELATED: Trump Campaign Shakes-Up Transition Team)

“We are concerned about reports of “disarray” within a “chaotic transition,” the lawmakers write in their letter to the GAO, citing articles from The New York Times and Time Magazine.

Warren and Cummings asked the GAO to examine Trump’s transition effort for “conflicts of interest related to business holdings of Mr. Trump and his family; potential violations of protocol and security precautions related to Mr. Trump’s communications with foreign leaders; and transparency related to the use of taxpayer funds in the transition.” Congress allocated about $9.5 million to the transition effort.

Trump began his transition effort just over two weeks ago after winning the general election Nov. 8, but the lawmakers want GAO to start investigating now. “Because the transition will last only until Jan. 20, 2017, we ask that you begin this review as quickly as possible,” Warren and Cummings write.

Among the specific questions they want addressed, the lawmakers requested the GAO consider whether “his conflicts potentially affected the policy positions of his new Administration,” and if the “‘disarray’ within Mr. Trump’s transition team affected his ability to effectively serve the American public beginning Jan. 20, 2017.”

In a video discussing the the transition period Nov. 10, Comptroller General Gene Dodaro reminded viewers that “as always, you can trust that the information GAO provides is objective, fact based, and nonpartisan.”

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