As President-elect Donald Trump makes his transition to the White House, it’s not just his cabinet picks garnering scrutiny — it’s now also his funding as he’s keeping the donors funding the transition effort a secret.
Trump has not yet signed an agreement with the outgoing Biden administration — a requirement laid out in the Presidential Transition Act that places restrictions on the amount of fundraising cash in exchange for more than $7 million in federal funds for the “orderly transfer” of power.
Because Trump hasn’t signed the agreement, he doesn’t have to work within the confines of the fundraising limits or disclose what interest groups are funding his transition to the White House, The New York Times first reported.
This side-step opens the door for anyone, including foreign nationals, to donate directly to Trump without their identities or potential conflicts of interest ever being brought to the public eye, the outlet noted.
The Presidential Transition Act also puts a cap on the amount donors can contribute: $5,000.
“When the money isn’t disclosed, it’s not clear how much everybody is giving, who is giving it and what they are getting in return for their donations,” said Heath Brown, a professor of public policy at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told The Times. “It’s an area where the vast majority of Americans would agree that they want to know who is paying that bill.”
While a Trump adviser told CNN earlier this month that the president-elect plans to sign the documents, a timeline was not provided for when that would be completed.
“The Trump-Vance transition lawyers continue to constructively engage with the Biden-Harris administration lawyers regarding all agreements contemplated by the Presidential Transition Act,” Brian Hughes, a Trump transition spokesman, told the Times in a statement.
The Independent has reached out to the Trump transition team for more information.
The White House confirmed earlier this week that the agreements have not been signed. “Our teams continue to stay in touch,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a press briefing. “As of now, the Trump-Vance transition team has not yet entered into the agreements with the White House and the General Service Administration.”
By not signing the required paperwork, Trump “remains unbound by donor contribution limits and disclosure requirements, and is relying on private donors rather than federal funds — opening Trump’s team to financial corruption with no public transparency even before he takes office,” Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said in a November 21 letter to the Biden administration.
Trump’s refusal to sign the agreements is “unprecedented” and “threatens the American public by hamstringing incoming officials’ ability to govern responsibly,” she continued.
Warren also noted that the FBI cannot start its background checks of Trump’s nominees for national security roles until the agreement is signed.
Another member of Congress sounded the alarm that Trump’s team had missed two mandatory pre-election deadlines.
“Federal law creates a process for major party candidates to engage in smooth transition planning,” Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin wrote on X in late October. “Trump and Vance have so far boycotted the process, thus already obstructing prospects for an orderly transition.”
The Maryland Democrat also wrote a letter on October 23 to Trump and JD Vance urging their transition team to sign the agreements: “Your actions depart from well-established norms of the federal government and demonstrate a spectacular disregard for the successful continuation of the essential institutions of American democratic government.”
Trump has officially nominated all of his top 15 cabinet picks as of Saturday.
