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Trump-Biden transition updates: At least 20 arrested, 1 stabbed at DC protests

The event was largely peaceful, but grew violent after crowds thinned at night.

ByLibby Cathey, Meredith Deliso, and Kate Pastor
Last Updated: November 16, 2020, 2:06 PM EST

President-elect Joe Biden is moving forward with transition plans, capping a tumultuous and tension-filled campaign during a historic pandemic against President Donald Trump, who still refuses to concede the election one week after Biden was projected as the winner of the presidential race.

Trump has largely hunkered down inside the White House since the election, but on Saturday his motorcade drove drove past supporters gathered to rally in Washington, D.C., on his way to play golf.

Biden, meanwhile, is pressing forward, meeting with transition advisers in Delaware and calling Trump's refusal to concede "an embarrassment."

The Biden transition team and the Trump administration are in a standoff over whether Biden should be granted access to federal resources allocated for the transition of power. The General Services Administration, headed by a Trump appointee, has yet to officially recognize Biden as the victor in the election, preventing Biden's team from gaining full access to government funds and security information.

But a growing number of Republican senators are calling on the administration to start giving Biden classified intelligence briefings, a sign that support for Trump's refusal to concede the election may be waning among his allies on Capitol Hill.

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Here is how the transition is unfolding. All times Eastern.
Nov 11, 2020, 8:12 PM EST

Biden names Ron Klain White House chief of staff

President-elect Joe Biden has named Ron Klain his White House chief of staff, ABC News has confirmed.

The announcement of a chief of staff typically comes as one of the first big decisions for a president-elect -- crucial because the person in that role can help determine a president's style of governing.

Klain is Biden's former chief of staff, who led the Obama administration's response to the Ebola virus. He was considered a leading contender, in part because of the urgent need to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

"It's the honor of a lifetime to serve President-elect Biden in this role, and I am humbled by his confidence," Klain said in a news release about the announcement. "I look forward to helping him and the Vice President-elect assemble a talented and diverse team to work in the White House, as we tackle their ambitious agenda for change, and seek to heal the divides in our country."

PHOTO: Ebola Response Coordinator Ron Klain, left, joined by Vice President Joseph Biden, speaks during a meeting regarding Ebola at the Eisenhower Executive office building, Nov. 13, 2014 in Washington, D.C.
Ebola Response Coordinator Ron Klain, left, joined by Vice President Joseph Biden, speaks during a meeting regarding Ebola at the Eisenhower Executive office building, Nov. 13, 2014 in Washington, D.C.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images, FILE

Klain served as a senior adviser to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2016, and has served as an executive at Revolution LLC, an investment firm founded by AOL founder Steve Case.

"His deep, varied experience and capacity to work with people all across the political spectrum is precisely what I need in a White House chief of staff as we confront this moment of crisis and bring our country together again," Biden said of Klain in the statement.

-ABC News' Katherine Faulders, Molly Nagle, John Santucci and Benjamin Siegel

Nov 11, 2020, 6:55 PM EST

Trump met with senior advisers to discuss path forward: Sources

Trump earlier Wednesday met with senior advisers including Jared Kushner, Jason Miller and campaign manager Bill Stepien to discuss a post-election path forward as he publicly refuses to concede the election, multiple sources told ABC News.

It's not necessarily unusual for the president to meet with senior advisers, but the meeting comes as the campaign continues pushing legal battles in several key states to dispute the election results. Trump has held several meetings with this group and other top aides since last week's election.

-ABC News Chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl, Will Steakin, John Santucci and Katherine Faulders

Nov 11, 2020, 5:27 PM EST

Trump refusal to ease Biden transition opens ‘dangerous gaps’ in nation’s security: Experts

The refusal of a General Services Administration to acknowledge Biden's election victory is stalling the president-elect's ability to prepare for taking office, and opening what experts called "dangerous gaps" in the nation's security heading into the transfer of power.

"It is deeply in our national interest to reduce the disruptions in a transition and try to make this go smoothly," said Lee Hamilton, a former Democratic congressman from Indiana who has studied the issue. "The transition is a period of potential danger and increased risk to the country … and our adversaries know that."

A view of the White House in Washington, D.C., Nov. 5, 2020.
Susan Walsh/AP

Years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the authors of the 9/11 Commission Report determined that the compressed transition timeframe ahead of George W. Bush's inauguration "hampered the new administration in identifying, recruiting, clearing, and obtaining Senate confirmation of key appointees."

Hamilton, who co-authored the 9/11 Commission Report, said Wednesday that those delays contributed to challenges in responding to the attacks and failure to address those delays opens up "dangerous gaps in the security posture of the United States."

-ABC News' Lucien Bruggeman

Nov 11, 2020, 3:55 PM EST

Biden to name chief of staff as soon as this week

Biden is expected to name his White House chief of staff as soon as this week, multiple sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

The announcement of a chief of staff typically comes as one of the first big decisions for a president-elect -- crucial because the person in that role can help determine a president’s style of governing.

Biden’s former chief of staff Ron Klain, who led the Obama administration’s response to the Ebola virus, is considered a leading contender, in part because of the urgent need to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

Other names on Biden's short list are said to be Steve Richetti -- a candidate opposed by progressives for his work as a lobbyist -- and Bruce Reed, also both former chiefs of staff to Biden.

-ABC News' Katherine Faulders, Molly Nagle, Benajmin Siegel and John Santucci

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