Emily W. Murphy: Difference between revisions

Emily Murphy
Emily Murphy
Administrator of General Services
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; December 12, 2017
President	Donald Trump
Deputy	Allison Brigati
Preceded by	Timothy Horne (Acting)
Personal details
Born	Emily Webster Murphy; 1973 (age 50–51); St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Education	Smith College (BA); University of Virginia (JD)

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Emily Webster Murphy (born 1973) is an American attorney and government official who is the Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA). GSA oversees the federal civilian workforce, federal government properties, and federal contracts.^[1]

When Joe Biden was generally acknowledged on November 7, 2020 to have won the 2020 United States presidential election, Murphy refused to sign a letter allowing Biden's transition team to access federal agencies and transition funds; this came as Trump refused to acknowledge Biden's victory.^[2]

Early life and education

Murphy was born in 1973 and raised in St. Louis, Missouri.^[3] She has a brother and a sister.^[3] Her father James J. ("Jim") Murphy Jr. was chairman of Murphy Company Mechanical Contractors and Engineers, and her mother, Mimi Murphy (née Webster), was an attorney.^[4]^[5] Murphy attended Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School, from which she graduated in 1991. She received a Bachelor of Arts from Smith College in 1995 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2001.^[6]^[7]^[3]

Early career

After graduating from Smith, Murphy moved to Washington, D.C., beginning her career at the Republican National Committee (RNC). She worked for the RNC as Assistant to the Director of Administration from October 1995 to January 1997. She then worked as a staff member for Jim Talent while he served as Chair of the House Committee on Small Business from January 1997 to July 1998, before leaving to pursue a law degree.^[8]

Murphy previously served as counsel at the United States House Committee on Armed Services, where she specialized in acquisition policy and reform. She has also held roles at the Small Business Administration and at GSA, where she served as the agency's Chief Acquisition Officer.^[9] Murphy served under three chairmen of the United States House Committee on Small Business. Her private sector experience includes five years in executive positions at a technology startup company engaged in federal contracting and three years as a government contracts attorney with two D.C. law firms.^[10]^[11]

General Services Administration leadership

After President Trump took office in January 2017, Murphy was appointed to the position of senior advisor to acting General Services Administration administrator Timothy Horne.^[12]^[6] On September 2, 2017, Trump nominated Murphy to the post of GSA administrator. The Senate confirmed Murphy's appointment by unanimous consent on December 5, 2017.^[12]

In March 2018, an Inspector General's report found that Murphy had a policy of permitting alcohol consumption on agency property.^[13]^[14]

Murphy became involved in a dispute surrounding a decision to cancel plans to relocate the J. Edgar Hoover Building out of Washington D.C., instead planning to do a more expensive rebuild at the existing location.^[15]^[16]^[17] House Democrats alleged that this decision was influenced by Trump's desire to prevent a rival hotel being built on Pennsylvania Avenue.^[9] Murphy faced questions at a 2018 congressional hearing regarding the White House's involvement in this decision, where she claimed that Trump was not involved in the decision and instead the direction was received from the FBI.^[9]^[16] A GSA Inspector General report published in August 2018 revealed Murphy's testimony "left the misleading impression that she had no discussions with the President or senior White House officials in the decision-making process about the project"; Murphy had failed to disclose her meeting with the president on two occasions regarding the project, and one with his Chief of Staff John Kelly.^[9]

Refusal to begin presidential transition

The GSA administrator officially determines when an incoming presidential administration can begin to access federal agencies and transition funds. After November 7, 2020, when Joe Biden became generally acknowledged as president-elect following the 2020 election, Murphy refused to sign a letter allowing Biden's transition team to begin work to facilitate an orderly transition of power.^[18]^[2] By refusing to allow the transition to proceed, she prevented the incoming administration from obtaining office space, performing background checks on prospective Cabinet nominees, and accessing classified information.^[2]^[18]^[19] Murphy's withholding of the letter also blocked Biden's transition team from accessing several million dollars in federal transition funds for salaries and other costs, establishing government email addresses, and working with the Office of Government Ethics on required financial disclosure and conflict-of-interest forms for incoming nominees.^[2]^[18]

Before the 2020 election, Murphy had reportedly spoken with David Barram, who was President George W. Bush's GSA administrator during the 2000 election, about the appropriate steps to take during a possible transition of power.^[9] On November 10, four former Secretaries of Homeland Security—Tom Ridge, Michael Chertoff, Janet Napolitano, and Jeh Johnson—called upon Murphy to initiate the transition.^[20]^[21] On November 19, the Chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform formally requested that Murphy brief Congress "on [her] ongoing refusal to grant the Biden-Harris Transition Team access to critical services and facilities".^[22]^[23] The next day, House Democrats sent Murphy a letter reading, "Your actions in blocking transition activities required under the law are having grave effects, including undermining the orderly transfer of power, impairing the incoming Administration's ability to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, hampering its ability to address our nation's dire economic crisis, and endangering our national security."^[24] The letter asked for a personal briefing on the situation by November 23, 2020.^[24]

References

^ Nicholas, Scott (December 6, 2017). "Senate Clears Emily Murphy as Next GSA Administrator". ExecutiveGov. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Rein, Lisa; O'Connell, Jonathan; Dawsey, Josh (November 8, 2020). "A little-known Trump appointee is in charge of handing transition resources to Biden — and she isn't budging". The Washington Post. ProQuest 2458469267. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c Raasch, Chuck (October 18, 2017). "St. Louis native faces tough task heading Trump's federal procurement, facilities office". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on December 21, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
^ "Emily Murphy Confirmed to Lead the U.S. General Services Administration". Mechanical Contractors Association of America. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
^ "Jim Murphy, Jr. Receives MCAA Honor". ConstructForSTL. March 24, 2015. Archived from the original on December 7, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
^ ^a ^b Raasch, Chuck (September 5, 2017). "Trump taps St. Louis native to head federal agency". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on December 9, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
^ Raasch, Chuck (December 6, 2017). "Senate okays St. Louis native Murphy to head government's General Services Administration". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
^ "Nomination of Emily W. Murphy to be Administrator, U.S. General Services Administration". Gsa.gov. October 18, 2017. Archived from the original on December 7, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2017. This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the General Services Administration.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Holmes, Kristen; Herb, Jeremy (November 19, 2020). "'It's a terrible situation': Inside a government bureaucrat's pressure-filled decision to delay the transition". CNN. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
^ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Personnel to Key Administration Posts". The White House. September 2, 2017. Archived from the original on December 10, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2017. This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the White House.
^ Adams, Ramona (September 5, 2017). "Emily Webster Murphy to Receive GSA Administrator Nomination". ExecutiveGov. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
^ ^a ^b Mazmanian, Adam (December 5, 2017). "Senate confirms new DHS, GSA chiefs". FCW. Archived from the original on December 7, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
^ Carl Ochoa, Inspector General (March 8, 2018). Report of Investigation: Re: P. Brennan Hart, III (PDF) (Report). Office of Inspector General, General Services Administration. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
^ MacFarlane, Scott (August 21, 2019). "Ex-GSA Official Had Sex With White House Staffer on Govt. Agency Rooftop: Investigation". NBC4 TV. Washington, D.C. Archived from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
^ "Trump Gets Help Again From Appointee Holding Up Transition". Bloomberg.com. November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
^ ^a ^b "Trump Intervened In FBI HQ Project To Protect His Hotel, Democrats Allege". NPR.org. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
^ O'Connell, Jonathan. "In abrupt shift, federal government proposes keeping FBI downtown". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c Shear, Michael D.; Haberman, Maggie; Crowley, Michael (November 10, 2020). "Trump Appointee Stands Between Biden's Team and a Smooth Transition". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
^ "Biden not getting intel reports because Trump officials deny he won". NBC News. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
^ Shaub, Walter M. (November 20, 2020). "The Presidential Transition Meets Murphy's Law". The New York Review of Books. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
^ Gregorian, Dareh (November 13, 2020). "Ex-Bush, Obama Homeland Security chiefs call on Trump admin to begin transition". NBC News. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
^ Cheney, Kyle (November 19, 2020). "Democrats demand briefing from GSA chief on delay in ascertaining Biden's win". Politico. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
^ "Letter from Reps. Carolyn B. Maloney, Nita M. Lowey, Gerald E. Connolly, and Mike Quigley to Emily Murphy" (Document). November 19, 2020. {{cite document}}: Cite document requires |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |access-date= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |url= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |work= ignored (help)
^ ^a ^b "House Democrats tell GSA chief her refusal to certify Biden's win is "having grave effects"". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved November 20, 2020.

External links

[Nicholas-1] Nicholas, Scott (December 6, 2017). "Senate Clears Emily Murphy as Next GSA Administrator". ExecutiveGov. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2017.

[Rein-2] Rein, Lisa; O'Connell, Jonathan; Dawsey, Josh (November 8, 2020). "A little-known Trump appointee is in charge of handing transition resources to Biden — and she isn't budging". The Washington Post. ProQuest 2458469267. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020.

[toughtask-3] Raasch, Chuck (October 18, 2017). "St. Louis native faces tough task heading Trump's federal procurement, facilities office". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on December 21, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2017.

[4] "Emily Murphy Confirmed to Lead the U.S. General Services Administration". Mechanical Contractors Association of America. Retrieved November 21, 2020.

[5] "Jim Murphy, Jr. Receives MCAA Honor". ConstructForSTL. March 24, 2015. Archived from the original on December 7, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2017.

[trumptaps-6] Raasch, Chuck (September 5, 2017). "Trump taps St. Louis native to head federal agency". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on December 9, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2017.

[7] Raasch, Chuck (December 6, 2017). "Senate okays St. Louis native Murphy to head government's General Services Administration". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2017.

[8] "Nomination of Emily W. Murphy to be Administrator, U.S. General Services Administration". Gsa.gov. October 18, 2017. Archived from the original on December 7, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2017. This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the General Services Administration.

[:0-9] Holmes, Kristen; Herb, Jeremy (November 19, 2020). "'It's a terrible situation': Inside a government bureaucrat's pressure-filled decision to delay the transition". CNN. Retrieved November 20, 2020.

[10] "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Personnel to Key Administration Posts". The White House. September 2, 2017. Archived from the original on December 10, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2017. This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the White House.

[11] Adams, Ramona (September 5, 2017). "Emily Webster Murphy to Receive GSA Administrator Nomination". ExecutiveGov. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2017.

[Mazmanian-12] Mazmanian, Adam (December 5, 2017). "Senate confirms new DHS, GSA chiefs". FCW. Archived from the original on December 7, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2017.

[13] Carl Ochoa, Inspector General (March 8, 2018). Report of Investigation: Re: P. Brennan Hart, III (PDF) (Report). Office of Inspector General, General Services Administration. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.

[GSA_jinx2-14] MacFarlane, Scott (August 21, 2019). "Ex-GSA Official Had Sex With White House Staffer on Govt. Agency Rooftop: Investigation". NBC4 TV. Washington, D.C. Archived from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.

[15] "Trump Gets Help Again From Appointee Holding Up Transition". Bloomberg.com. November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.

[:2-16] "Trump Intervened In FBI HQ Project To Protect His Hotel, Democrats Allege". NPR.org. Retrieved November 23, 2020.

[17] O'Connell, Jonathan. "In abrupt shift, federal government proposes keeping FBI downtown". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 23, 2020.

[StandsBetween-18] Shear, Michael D.; Haberman, Maggie; Crowley, Michael (November 10, 2020). "Trump Appointee Stands Between Biden's Team and a Smooth Transition". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.

[19] "Biden not getting intel reports because Trump officials deny he won". NBC News. Retrieved November 22, 2020.

[murphy's_law-20] Shaub, Walter M. (November 20, 2020). "The Presidential Transition Meets Murphy's Law". The New York Review of Books. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.

[21] Gregorian, Dareh (November 13, 2020). "Ex-Bush, Obama Homeland Security chiefs call on Trump admin to begin transition". NBC News. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.

[22] Cheney, Kyle (November 19, 2020). "Democrats demand briefing from GSA chief on delay in ascertaining Biden's win". Politico. Retrieved November 20, 2020.

[23] "Letter from Reps. Carolyn B. Maloney, Nita M. Lowey, Gerald E. Connolly, and Mike Quigley to Emily Murphy" (Document). November 19, 2020. {{cite document}}: Cite document requires |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |access-date= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |url= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |work= ignored (help)

[:1-24] "House Democrats tell GSA chief her refusal to certify Biden's win is "having grave effects"". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved November 20, 2020.

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@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 '''Emily Webster Murphy''' (born 1973) is an American attorney and government official who is the Administrator of the [[General Services Administration]] (GSA). GSA oversees the federal civilian workforce, federal government properties, and federal contracts.<ref name="Nicholas">{{cite news|last1=Nicholas|first1=Scott|title=Senate Clears Emily Murphy as Next GSA Administrator|url=http://www.executivegov.com/2017/12/senate-clears-emily-murphy-as-next-gsa-administrator/|accessdate=December 6, 2017|publisher=ExecutiveGov|date=December 6, 2017|archive-date=December 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206143635/http://www.executivegov.com/2017/12/senate-clears-emily-murphy-as-next-gsa-administrator/|url-status=live}}</ref>
-President [[Donald Trump]] appointed Murphy GSA administrator in 2017.<ref name="Nicholas" /><ref name="Rein">{{cite news|last1=Rein|first1=Lisa|last2=O'Connell|first2=Jonathan|last3=Dawsey|first3=Josh|date=November 8, 2020|title=A little-known Trump appointee is in charge of handing transition resources to Biden — and she isn't budging|work=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-gsa-letter-biden-transition/2020/11/08/07093acc-21e9-11eb-8672-c281c7a2c96e_story.html|url-status=live|access-date=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109100819/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-gsa-letter-biden-transition/2020/11/08/07093acc-21e9-11eb-8672-c281c7a2c96e_story.html|archive-date=November 9, 2020|id={{ProQuest|2458469267}}}}</ref> During her tenure, two issues that were personally important to Trump became sources of controversy for Murphy and the GSA: the hotel that Trump operates under a federal lease (in [[Washington, D.C.]]'s [[Old Post Office (Washington, D.C.)|Old Post Office]]) and plans for the relocation and consolidation of the [[FBI]]'s headquarters (in his first year in office, Trump personally intervened to halt the long-planned movement out of the [[J. Edgar Hoover Building]]).<ref name="Rein" /> After Murphy testified before Congress about an aborted change in FBI headquarters,  an August 2018 Inspector General's report concluded that her testimony was "incomplete" and "misleading".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/403860-watchdog-says-administration-officials-made-misleading-statements|title=Watchdog says administration officials made misleading statements on FBI headquarters|first=Emily|last=Birnbaum|date=August 27, 2018|work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|access-date=November 17, 2020|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109041137/http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/403860-watchdog-says-administration-officials-made-misleading-statements|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite report |date=August 28, 2018 |title=Review of GSA's Revised Plan for the Federal Bureau of Investigation Headquarters Consolidation Project |url=https://www.gsaig.gov/sites/default/files/audit-reports/Review%20of%20GSA%27s%20Revised%20Plan%20for%20the%20FBI%20HQ%20Consolidation%20Project%20REDACTED%20-%20508%20compliant.pdf |publisher=Office of Inspector General, U.S. General Services Administration |access-date=November 17, 2020 |archive-date=November 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117123243/https://www.gsaig.gov/sites/default/files/audit-reports/Review%20of%20GSA%27s%20Revised%20Plan%20for%20the%20FBI%20HQ%20Consolidation%20Project%20REDACTED%20-%20508%20compliant.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
+When [[Joe Biden]] was generally acknowledged on November 7, 2020 to have won the [[2020 United States presidential election]], Murphy refused to sign a letter allowing [[United States presidential transition|Biden's transition team]] to access federal agencies and transition funds; this came as Trump [[Disputes surrounding the 2020 United States presidential election results|refused to acknowledge Biden's victory]].<ref name="Rein">{{cite news|last1=Rein|first1=Lisa|last2=O'Connell|first2=Jonathan|last3=Dawsey|first3=Josh|date=November 8, 2020|title=A little-known Trump appointee is in charge of handing transition resources to Biden — and she isn't budging|work=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-gsa-letter-biden-transition/2020/11/08/07093acc-21e9-11eb-8672-c281c7a2c96e_story.html|url-status=live|access-date=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109100819/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-gsa-letter-biden-transition/2020/11/08/07093acc-21e9-11eb-8672-c281c7a2c96e_story.html|archive-date=November 9, 2020|id={{ProQuest|2458469267}}}}</ref>
-When [[Joe Biden]] was generally acknowledged on November 7, 2020 to have won the [[2020 United States presidential election]], Murphy refused to sign a letter allowing [[United States presidential transition|Biden's transition team]] to access federal agencies and transition funds; this came as Trump [[Disputes surrounding the 2020 United States presidential election results|refused to acknowledge Biden's victory]].<ref name="Rein" />
 ==Early life and education==
@@ Line 40: / Line 38: @@
 In March 2018, an Inspector General's report found that Murphy had a policy of permitting alcohol consumption on agency property.<ref>{{cite report |author=Carl Ochoa, Inspector General |date=March 8, 2018 |title=Report of Investigation: Re: P. Brennan Hart, III |url=https://www.gsaig.gov/sites/default/files/foia/Report%20of%20Investigation%20Re%20P.%20Brennan%20Hart%20III.pdf |publisher=Office of Inspector General, General Services Administration |access-date=November 17, 2020 |archive-date=November 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117051505/https://www.gsaig.gov/sites/default/files/foia/Report%20of%20Investigation%20Re%20P.%20Brennan%20Hart%20III.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="GSA_jinx2">{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/Ex-GSA-Official-Had-Sex-With-White-House-Staffer-on-Govt-Agency-Rooftop-Investigation-557762411.html|title=Ex-GSA Official Had Sex With White House Staffer on Govt. Agency Rooftop: Investigation|work=NBC4 TV|location=Washington, D.C.|date=August 21, 2019|author1=MacFarlane, Scott|access-date=August 23, 2019|archive-date=August 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190823151543/https://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/Ex-GSA-Official-Had-Sex-With-White-House-Staffer-on-Govt-Agency-Rooftop-Investigation-557762411.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
+Murphy became involved in a dispute surrounding a decision to cancel plans to relocate the [[J. Edgar Hoover Building]] out of [[Washington D.C.]], instead planning to do a more expensive rebuild at the existing location.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2020-11-09|title=Trump Gets Help Again From Appointee Holding Up Transition|language=en|work=Bloomberg.com|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-09/trump-gets-help-again-from-appointee-holding-up-biden-transition|access-date=2020-11-23}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Trump Intervened In FBI HQ Project To Protect His Hotel, Democrats Allege|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/10/18/658509261/trump-intervened-in-fbi-hq-project-to-protect-his-hotel-democrats-allege|access-date=2020-11-23|website=NPR.org|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=O'Connell|first=Jonathan|title=In abrupt shift, federal government proposes keeping FBI downtown|language=en-US|work=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2018/02/12/in-abrupt-shift-federal-government-proposes-keeping-fbi-downtown/|access-date=2020-11-23|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> House Democrats alleged that this decision was influenced by Trump's desire to prevent a rival hotel being built on [[Pennsylvania Avenue]].<ref name=":0" /> Murphy faced questions at a 2018 congressional hearing regarding the White House's involvement in this decision, where she claimed that Trump was not involved in the decision and instead the direction was received from the FBI.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> A GSA Inspector General report published in August 2018 revealed Murphy's testimony "left the misleading impression that she had no discussions with the President or senior White House officials in the decision-making process about the project"; Murphy had failed to disclose her meeting with the president on two occasions regarding the project, and one with his [[White House Chief of Staff|Chief of Staff]] [[John F. Kelly|John Kelly]].<ref name=":0" />
-===Federal lease for Trump hotel and FBI headquarters project===
-During her tenure, two issues that were personally important to Trump became sources of controversy for Murphy and the GSA: the hotel that Trump operates under a federal lease (in [[Washington, D.C.]]'s [[Old Post Office (Washington, D.C.)|Old Post Office]]) and plans for the relocation and consolidation of the FBI headquarters.<ref name="Rein" />
-The FBI had long scheduled a move out of its D.C. headquarters, the [[J. Edgar Hoover Building]], as the aging building was falling apart and not secure.<ref name="Rein" /> The bureau's headquarters were planned to move to a suburban location.<ref name="Rein" /> The project had been in the works for more than a decade, but in 2017 Trump personally intervened to kill the plan.<ref name="Rein" /> Democrats said that Trump canceled the move to prevent the Hoover Building site from being redeveloped into a hotel that could compete with Trump's hotel across the street; the Trump White House denied that Trump's business played into the decision.<ref name="Rein" /><ref name="HuffPo">{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/trump-fbi-headquarters-hotel_n_5c8051bae4b020b54d81ec52|title=Democratic Probe Of Trump's Role In Keeping FBI HQ Across From His Hotel Deepens|work=[[Huffington Post]]|date=July 3, 2019|author1=Blumenthal, Paul|access-date=March 7, 2019|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109193831/https://consent.yahoo.com/v2/collectConsent?sessionId=2_cc-session_ab8b99a3-aa45-469d-8155-8b15ec70265a|url-status=live}}</ref> House Democrats investigated the episode.<ref name="HuffPo" />
-In April 2018, Murphy told a congressional oversight hearing that the decision to stop the FBI from moving its headquarters came solely from the FBI, without Trump's involvement.<ref name="HuffPo" /> But three months later, the GSA [[inspector general]] (IG) released a report finding that Murphy's statement to Congress was "incomplete and may have left the misleading impression that she had no discussions with White House officials in the decision-making."<ref name="HuffPo" /><ref>{{Cite news|last1=Tau|first1=Byron|last2=Gurman|first2=Sadie|date=2018-08-27|title=Trump Was Involved in FBI Headquarters Plan, Watchdog Says|language=en-US|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-was-involved-in-fbi-headquarters-plan-watchdog-says-1535409845|access-date=2020-11-19|issn=0099-9660|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019072628/https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-was-involved-in-fbi-headquarters-plan-watchdog-says-1535409845|archive-date=2020-10-19}}</ref> According to the report, Murphy and other GSA officials had multiple meetings with Trump about the FBI headquarters, specifically a two-day meeting in January 2018 between Murphy, Trump, White House Chief of Staff [[John F. Kelly]], and budget director [[Mick Mulvaney]].<ref name="O'Connell">{{cite news|last1=O'Connell|first1=Jonathan|title=White House role in FBI headquarters plan detailed in watchdog report|work=[[The Washington Post]]|date=2018-08-27|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/08/27/white-house-role-fbi-headquarters-plan-detailed-watchdog-report/|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201016062848/https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/08/27/white-house-role-fbi-headquarters-plan-detailed-watchdog-report/ |archive-date=October 16, 2020|url-status=live|id={{ProQuest|2094240193}} }}</ref> The IG report also found that GSA officials misrepresented the costs of an alternative plan to build a new FBI headquarters in downtown D.C., portraying the replacement plan as cheaper than the original plan when it would actually be more expensive.<ref name="O'Connell" /> In October 2018, House Democrats disclosed internal GSA emails showing that GSA discussed "the President's instructions", "direction from WH" and "what was decided in the meeting with POTUS" in January 2018.<ref name="HuffPo" />
 ===Refusal to begin presidential transition===

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