President-elect Joe Biden\u2019s team denied Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller\u2019s request for transition space at the Pentagon after he leaves office on Wednesday, a courtesy normally extended at the Defense Department.<\/p>\n
The Biden transition told Miller\u2019s team that it had denied his request for transition office space for himself and a handful of aides, in a reversal from past practice, according to a senior Defense Department official.<\/p>\n
Outgoing secretaries typically get office space at the Pentagon for several weeks to handle any final tasks that remain undone by Inauguration Day.<\/p>\n
Biden\u2019s team didn\u2019t give a reason for the denial, though the official said Miller\u2019s team believed it was payback over the contention by Biden and his staff that the Trump administration sought to delay and obstruct the transition at the Defense Department. Early in January, incoming White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the transition team was encountering \u201cintransigence\u201d in the department and Office of Management and Budget, as well as \u201cother places that we\u2019ve had ongoing concern.\u201d<\/p>\n
A transition official, who asked not to be identified discussing private conversations, denied that the ongoing spat played any role in the decision. The official acknowledged it had been typical in the past to provide the office space but said Miller\u2019s role as acting secretary, along with reduced staffing because of the coronavirus pandemic, made it inappropriate.<\/p>\n