BBC Online :
US President-elect Joe Biden has accused the US defence department of “irresponsibility” for failing to give his team the information it needs for the transition of power.
He said his team had encountered “obstruction from the political leadership”.
Mr Biden also claimed that agencies critical to US security had suffered “enormous damage” under Donald Trump.
A Pentagon spokesman said it had been “completely transparent”.
Mr Biden takes office on 20 January but President Trump has refused to concede.
For weeks after the 3 November election, Mr Biden was blocked from receiving key intelligence briefings, an essential and normally routine part of a presidential transition.
After Mr Trump finally agreed to allow the formal transition process last month, Mr Biden praised the White House for its help in the process.
But his tone had changed on Monday. Mr Biden spoke after a briefing by national security and foreign policy aides.
In a speech which he posted on Twitter, Mr Biden said his team was facing “roadblocks” in the defence department and the Office of Management and Budget.
“Right now, we just aren’t getting all the information that we need from the outgoing administration in key national security areas,” he said.
“It’s nothing short, in my view, of irresponsibility.”
The president-elect added that his team needed a “clear picture of our force posture around the world” and that US adversaries could exploit any confusion that resulted.
Following Mr Biden’s remarks, Acting Defence Secretary Christopher Miller said officials had been “working with the utmost professionalism to support transition activities”.
“The Department of Defense has conducted 164 interviews with over 400 officials and provided over 5,000 pages of documents – far more than initially requested by Biden’s transition team,” he said.
US President-elect Joe Biden has accused the US defence department of “irresponsibility” for failing to give his team the information it needs for the transition of power.
He said his team had encountered “obstruction from the political leadership”.
Mr Biden also claimed that agencies critical to US security had suffered “enormous damage” under Donald Trump.
A Pentagon spokesman said it had been “completely transparent”.
Mr Biden takes office on 20 January but President Trump has refused to concede.
For weeks after the 3 November election, Mr Biden was blocked from receiving key intelligence briefings, an essential and normally routine part of a presidential transition.
After Mr Trump finally agreed to allow the formal transition process last month, Mr Biden praised the White House for its help in the process.
But his tone had changed on Monday. Mr Biden spoke after a briefing by national security and foreign policy aides.
In a speech which he posted on Twitter, Mr Biden said his team was facing “roadblocks” in the defence department and the Office of Management and Budget.
“Right now, we just aren’t getting all the information that we need from the outgoing administration in key national security areas,” he said.
“It’s nothing short, in my view, of irresponsibility.”
The president-elect added that his team needed a “clear picture of our force posture around the world” and that US adversaries could exploit any confusion that resulted.
Following Mr Biden’s remarks, Acting Defence Secretary Christopher Miller said officials had been “working with the utmost professionalism to support transition activities”.
“The Department of Defense has conducted 164 interviews with over 400 officials and provided over 5,000 pages of documents – far more than initially requested by Biden’s transition team,” he said.
