President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team has finally signed a memorandum of understanding with the White House after facing sharp criticism for missing deadlines to enter such agreements. This memorandum allows the incoming administration to begin preparing for the transition by coordinating with federal agencies and accessing government resources. Trump’s team had previously bypassed deadlines to sign agreements with the White House and the General Services Administration, prompting concerns about a smooth transfer of power. Despite this, the White House said they would facilitate a smooth transition as per the Presidential Transition Act, even though they disagreed with Trump’s decision not to sign the GSA memorandum. The agreement with the White House required Trump to publicly post an ethics plan for the transition team, which was uploaded and followed standard procedures. However, Trump’s team had also not signed an agreement with the Justice Department, which would allow the FBI to conduct background checks on Cabinet nominees. This has raised concerns among lawmakers, but both the Trump transition team and the Justice Department have not responded to requests for comment on this issue. Overall, the signing of the memorandum of understanding marks an important step in the transition process for the incoming Trump administration.
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