A government watchdog is heeding Elizabeth Warren's request that it look into the Trump transition team.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) confirmed in a letter to Senator Warren (D-MA) and Representative Elijah Cummings (D-MD) that it will examine Trump's presidential transition team. Warren and Cummings in November asked GAO Comptroller General Gene Dodaro to investigate the transition, citing concerns of disarray in the process, communications with foreign leaders and transparency.
The GAO letter, dated April 5, outlines four key matters the watchdog will seek to address -- what laws, entities and provisions guide the presidential transition, what General Services Administration processes guide money management and how the transition team fundraised and spent, what conflict-of-interest guidance the Trump team received, and what the Trump transition knew about norms for communications with foreign governments.
The office will also compare how the 2017 transition stacks up against transitions in 2001 under George W. Bush and 2009 under Barack Obama.
The GAO said it will send a draft of its findings to the appropriate agencies by June for comment. The letter seems to indicate its primary goal will be to figure out what is required under the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, which governs the orderly transfer of executive power, and what the Trump team was aware of and did.
Warren and Cummings on November 23 asked the GAO to review Trump's taxpayer-funded transition, citing potential conflicts of interest related to his business ties.
"We have significant questions about the extent to which Mr. Trump's conflicts of interest and other problems are affecting his transition and compromising the use of taxpayer funds," the pair wrote at the time.
A GAO spokesman said the office accepted the request in December and that the first thing it does for any such work is to determine the scope of what it will cover, the methodology used and objectives, which takes a few months. The letter to Warren and Cummings confirms those steps have been completed.
The senators' request came before Trump in January outlined his plans to separate himself from his businesses and the Trump organizations but not divest his holdings. ProPublica reported recently that Trump can still withdraw profits and underlying assets from his trust at any time, and Trump Organization lawyer Alan Garten confirmed to the publication that this is indeed the case.
Their letter also came ahead of reports of communications between the Trump transition team and Russia. National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was ousted in February after it was revealed he lied to Vice President Mike Pence over his contacts with the Russian ambassador.
FBI Director James Comey in testimony before Congress in March confirmed that his agency is investigating Russia's meddling in the 2016 election and potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Congressional committees in the House and Senate have launched investigations as well.
The White House did not immediately return request for comment on the GAO letter.
Updated with clarifications from GAO spokesman.
