And his transition team leaders and national security picks will get security clearances.
The transition period also has significant security implications, particularly because foreign enemies may perceive the United States to be more vulnerable during a Presidential transition. .... As such, the new national security team must be selected, complete security clearances, and be fully briefed along with President-Elect Trump to begin work before the inauguration to ensure the continued safety of the country.6 See Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, Pub. L. No. 108-458, § 7601, 118 Stat. 3638, 3856–58 (2004).
As part of that effort, President-Elect Trump will soon begin to receive the same detailed, top-secret briefings intelligence officials give President Obama.
Among the national security positions he will fill are Defense, Intelligence, State, USAID, IAP, NSC, DHS and NASA.
Presidential transitions are expensive: For this one, Congress has allotted $13 million to cover things like "office staff, travel, office space, and orientation meetings." It will pay for offices in more than one city if requested.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, includes $13.278 million for activities authorized by the Pre-Election Presidential Transition Act of 2010. Pub. L. No. 114-113, 129 Stat. 2242 (codified at 3 U.S.C. § 102 note) (2015). Funding covers, for example, compensation of the President-Elect’s office staff, travel, office space, and orientation meetings for key personnel. Id.
Trump's lawyer, interestingly, is already confusing his client's interest with the public interest. He writes that the factors for a continuance are:
(1)That defendants will succeed on appeal in obtaining the relief sought herein; (2) the potential harm to the President-Elect in the absence of a stay; (3) whether a stay will substantially injure plaintiffs; and (4) the public interest in a stay.
What public interest is served by a stay? He doesn't mention the public interest in knowing if the man they just elected to be President is a liar and a cheat, which a jury would be determining in this case. The only public interest he mentions to the court is the public interest ensuring a "proper transition of power."
Trump's lead lawyer in the case is very good. He represented the Brown and Goldman families in the civil lawsuit against OJ (and came up with the photo of the OJ wearing the "ugly as* Bruno Magli shoes.") He is very tenacious and well-prepared.
Since more people voted for Hillary than than for Trump, I think it's safe to say the majority of Americans are perfectly willing to wait until this trial is over to have Trump start making decisions on a day to day basis. Isn't this why we have a vice-president, for when the the President is unavailable? Pence is not chopped liver, he is already leading the transition team. Trump's role can be performed by phoning it in to his son in law and daughter.
This is not a criminal trial. He's had six years to prepare for trial. What's at stake if he loses is money damages -- Trump's money, not our money.
I hope the Judge at least tries the liability phase of the case on November 28 so we get a verdict on whether he defrauded anyone before he takes office. Only the damages portion, should it get that far, should be postponed until January.
The judge has been urging the parties to settle. I think the best way to get a settlement is for the judge to deny the continuance -- at least as to the liability phase. Trump doesn't care what the public thinks of him now, he's already got the job. I'm sure his lawyer will insist on a "no admission of wrongdoing" clause in the settlement agreement. Then Trump can claim any settlement was forced by the biased judge or a rigged system and he didn't do anything wrong, but he agreed, for the sake of the country to pay out some bucks.
Trump will skate on this and every other lawsuit. He'll skate on any tax audit because the IRS is under the Executive Branch.
Maybe Mexico will succeed in charging him with tax fraud over the failed Trump Ocean Resort deal in Tijuana. How funny would it be if Trump went to Mexico to talk to Mexican President Pena Nieto about the Wall and didn't come back because he got arrested there? (Trump, Donald Jr. and Ivanka were all sued in state court in California where the case settled without Trump's agreement.) The charge sought against Trump in Mexican includes a claim he failed to pay Mexican taxes on the transaction. (The resort was never built, but Americans in southern California lost lots of money -- some their life savings -- and all Mexico got to show for it is a huge excavated hole in the ground where the first tower was going to be built. Trump claimed he wasn't the developer, he just sold his name to the project. Billboards advertising the project at the time that were posted on the freeway reportedly implied otherwise. )