Military coup or nothing to see here? Pentagon halts cooperation with Biden transition team – report

The Pentagon has ordered a department-wide pause on briefings with the incoming Democratic administration, multiple Joe Biden officials told Axios, questioning whether it was an innocuous holiday closure or something more serious.

Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller has allegedly ordered a total halt to all military briefings with the administration of President-elect Joe Biden, several “senior administration officials” told Axios on Friday. The recently appointed Pentagon head reportedly told officials on Thursday night to cancel all scheduled transition meetings.

The move has supposedly shocked administration officials, though one unnamed senior officer at the Department of Defense countered that it was “a simple delay of the last few scheduled meetings until after the new year,” arguing that staff were “overwhelmed” by the effort to fit nearly two dozen meetings into the few days remaining before 2021.

“These same senior leaders needed to do their day jobs and were being consumed by transition activities,” the official told Axios, explaining that “with the holidays we are taking a knee for two weeks.”

We are still committed to a productive transition.

The Biden team has been on alert for any signals that President Donald Trump might try to hold on to power after Inauguration Day, despite the Electoral College’s vote earlier this month to certify the Democrat’s win and Trump’s previous promise to go along with whatever the body decides. Democrats have predicted for months that Trump will refuse to leave office.

The president’s supporters haven’t exactly helped put their minds at ease, with figures as prominent as former national security adviser Michael Flynn calling for martial law and the invocation of the Insurrection Act to reverse what they view as November’s stolen election.

Like this story? Share it with a friend!