Days before election, both Harris and Trump campaigns meet with transition planning officials

"The meeting focused on post-election readiness," the Biden White House said.

ByMaryAlice Parks, Katherine Faulders, and Justin Gomez ABCNews logo
Wednesday, October 30, 2024 12:55PM
Two closing arguments show stark choice between Trump and Harris
Two closing arguments show stark choice between Trump and Harris

One week before Election Day, federal agency transition members met with representatives from both the Harris and Trump campaigns on Tuesday, ABC News has confirmed.

Previously, the Trump team had blown past ethics and funding agreement deadlines.

A White House spokesperson confirmed the meeting in a statement.

"On. Tuesday, October 29, the Agency Transition Directors Council (ATDC) met in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. The ATDC has been meeting regularly for months to prepare for a transition, and the meeting this week included representatives from both transition teams," the statement said. "The meeting focused on post-election readiness to ensure agencies and the transition teams are ready to execute responsibly and efficiently."

The Federal Transition Coordinator has been continuously engaging with both candidate transition teams, the White House said. Back in September, White House chief of staff Jeff Zients convened the White House Transition Coordinating Committee in a meeting that included representatives from both candidate transition teams

Earlier this month, two new members of Harris' transition team told ABC News she wasn't assuming anything.

They said they were a bit behind given her relatively short time as a candidate for president.

They insisted she was not "measuring the drapes" and was laser-focused on the campaign, noting there is no transition if you lose.

One team member told ABC News, "the last thing in the whole world we want to do is make noise or distract, and frankly this is not where her head is or should be."

Her team, they said, is doing more work behind the scenes to "get the bones together" and "make sure she can hit the ground running," should she win.

That work includes getting lawyers ready to do vetting of potential personnel.

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