Iran Press/America: "There was no mutually agreed upon holiday break," Yohannes Abraham, executive director of the Biden transition, told reporters Friday. "In fact, we think it's important that briefings and other engagements continue during this period, as there's no time to spare."
Tensions between the Pentagon and the Biden transition spilled into public view once again on Friday after the acting Secretary of Defense, Christopher Miller, said the incoming Biden team had agreed to a two-week holiday break in previously scheduled transition talks at the Pentagon, CNN reported.
Miller's announcement also acknowledged that the Pentagon had postponed a series of meetings with the Biden transition team that had been scheduled for Friday, saying that those meetings would be rescheduled after the supposed holiday break.
A Department of Defense spokesperson said that the Pentagon was "working to reschedule approximately 20 interviews with 40 officials until after January 1."
A US defense official said that there were fewer planned meetings over the next two weeks, saying that there had only been six briefings scheduled for next week.
The Biden team learned of the delay on Thursday, Abraham said in a briefing call with reporters, where he urged Pentagon officials to resume the meetings and information-sharing critical to national security and continuity of government.
"In terms of when meetings will resume, meetings and requests for information, which are substantively interchangeable, it's our hope and expectation that that will happen immediately," Abraham said.
Officials with the Biden transition team said they had believed the meetings would resume sometime soon after Thursday's cessation and were unaware Friday morning that the day's meetings had been canceled.
101/209
Read more:
Pentagon is cooperating with Biden team, acting chief says
Pentagon to make post-election resources available to Biden transition team
