It looks like the guy who has made it perfectly clear he doesn’t care about federal law is violating federal law. Oh, and also he’s about to be the president of the United States.
Donald Trump and his campaign are currently in violation of the Presidential Transition Act, a federal law that coordinates and funds the transition of power from one administration to the next.
The PTA has a few components that must be submitted by the Trump campaign—and so far, the president-elect’s team hasn’t handed over a single one.
Trump has yet to submit a Memo of Understanding to the General Services Administration, which would theoretically articulate an ethics policy pledging not to hire individuals with conflicts of interest to assist with its transition. The document would provide $7.2 million to fund Trump’s transition, and was due at the beginning of October.
It’s become increasingly clear the president-elect has no intention to submit one. That’s possibly because the PTA also requires candidates to disclose all of their private donors, and places a $5,000 cap on individual donations to the transition.
Trump will be sworn in regardless of whether he complies with the Presidential Transition Act, but his noncompliance will likely stall and disrupt the transition process. In lieu of federal funding, Trump might look elsewhere for big dollar donations, such as his inaugural committee, which is set to be headed by millionaire real estate investor Steve Witkoff and Kelly Loeffler, a former Republican U.S. senator.
Trump has also failed to submit security clearance requests for members of his administration, with each appointment more disturbing than the last.
Last week, the Department of Justice said that it was ready to “process requests for security clearances for those who will need access to national security information.” Trump’s top advisers have previously suggested that the president-elect hand out security clearances without FBI vetting.