President Trump’s former chief of staff, John Kelly, said his ex-boss has a duty to help President-elect Joe Biden securely transition for the sake of the nation.
“You lose a lot if the transition is delayed because the new people are not allowed to get their head in the game,” Kelly said. “The president, with all due respect, does not have to concede. But it’s about the nation. It hurts our national security because the people who should be getting [up to speed], it’s not a process where you go from zero to 1,000 miles per hour.”
Trump has yet to concede to Biden after he was declared the winner of the presidential election on Saturday by several media outlets, when the former vice president secured Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes.
Trump is in the middle of legal battles in several key swing states, where he alleges voter fraud took place.
Kelly added that Trump doesn’t have to concede until his litigation is complete, but he should start directing his administration to begin briefing Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on national intelligence matters because of their complex nature.
“The transition, in the national security realm in particular and the homeland security realm, is just so important that every day that the transition is delayed really kind of handicaps [the new team],” Kelly told Politico.
Kelly’s comments echoed a growing number of Republicans, such as Sens. Marco Rubio and Roy Blunt, who have called on Trump to start the briefing process for Biden.
Kelly said Trump likely won’t ever accept defeat, even if he publicly concedes.
“I know Mr. Trump better than most people do,” Kelly said. “I know that he’ll never accept defeat, and, in fact, he doesn’t have to accept defeat here. He just has to do what’s best for the country and in the country’s interest.”
Kelly served as Trump’s homeland security secretary before he became chief of staff for two years. The two grew distant on their differing management styles, and the retired four-star Marine Corps general eventually left the White House in early 2019. He was succeeded by Mick Mulvaney, who was then replaced by Mark Meadows.
