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More than 100 business leaders, including George H. Walker, the chief executive of the money manager Neuberger, and Jon Gray, president of the private-equity firm Blackstone, have co-signed a letter urging General Services Administration (GSA) chief Emily Murphy to authorize the presidential transition.
They expressed their concern that President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede and acknowledge President-elect Joe Biden’s victory poses a great risk to the country.
Murphy has made headlines in recent weeks for refusing to sign a letter of “ascertainment” confirming that President-elect Joe Biden won the election, a step that would allow Biden to meet with government officials and access the more than $6 million in federal funds allocated for the transition.
Every day that an orderly presidential transition process is delayed, our democracy grows weaker in the eyes of our own citizens and the nation’s stature on the global stage is diminished,” reads the letter, which was reviewed by The New York Times. “Withholding resources and vital information from an incoming administration puts the public and economic health and security of America at risk.”
We urge respect for the democratic process and unified support for our duly elected leadership,” they continue. “There is not a moment to waste in the battle against the pandemic and for the recovery and healing of our nation to begin.”