The US Department of State has accumulated dozens of messages from world leaders to Joe Biden, but he is not getting them because Donald Trump’s administration has forbidden him access to such documents. CNN reports this, citing sources.
According to them, this is because Trump does not recognise Biden’s victory in the presidential election.
Biden has been able to hold telephone conversations with some foreign leaders, such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel or Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. However, these conversations did not take place through the State Department and did not involve official interpreters. According to CNN, Biden’s team has an unusual task in making these contacts.
To get in touch with Biden, foreign leaders have to ask for help from former diplomats who served under the Barack Obama administration, according to interlocutors on the television.
Usually the State Department provides the elected president with all channels of communication and facilitates a smooth transfer of power from the outgoing team. However, even Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has now made it clear that he does not recognise Biden’s victory, and said that “the transition to the second Trump administration will be smooth.
Nor does Biden have the traditional daily intelligence briefings.