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Emily W. Murphy

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Emily Murphy
Administrator of General Services
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 12, 2017
PresidentDonald Trump
DeputyAllison Brigati
Preceded byTimothy Horne (Acting)
Personal details
Born
Emily Webster Murphy

1973 (age 50–51)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationSmith College (BA)
University of Virginia (JD)

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] She is best known for refusing to allow President-elect Biden's transition team to access federal agencies and transition funds.

President Donald Trump appointed Murphy GSA administrator in 2017.[1][2] 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) 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).[2] In March 2018, an Inspector General's report found that Murphy had a policy of permitting alcohol consumption on agency property.[3][4] 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".[5][6]

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] By refusing to allow the Biden administration transition to proceed, she prevented the incoming administration from obtaining office space, performing background checks on prospective Cabinet nominees, accessing COVID-19 vaccine information, and accessing classified information that might be needed to respond to emergencies the Biden administration confronts.[7] The Trump administration's attempt to undermine the election result, including its refusal to cooperate in the transition, has been described as an attempted coup.[8]

Early life and education

Murphy was born in 1973 and raised in St. Louis, Missouri.[9] She has a brother and a sister.[9] 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.[10][11] 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.[12][13][9]

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.[14]

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.[15] 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.[16][17]

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.[18][12] 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.[18]

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) and plans for the relocation and consolidation of the FBI headquarters.[2]

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.[2] The bureau's headquarters were planned to move to a suburban location.[2] The project had been in the works for more than a decade, but in 2017 Trump personally intervened to kill the plan.[2] 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.[2][19] House Democrats investigated the episode.[19]

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.[19] 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."[19][20] 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.[21] 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.[21] 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.[19]

Inspector general report regarding alcohol and GSA headquarters rooftop

In August 2019, a report by the GSA inspector general, examining an episode in 2017, was released under a Freedom of Information Act request. The report examined an episode in which a GSA associate administrator (who later left the government) admitted to having sex with a White House staffer on the GSA headquarters rooftop after drinking alcohol in a suite area. Murphy reportedly told investigators in February 2018 "that she 'often permits' her immediate staffers to drink alcohol in the office after business hours on Fridays but said she was 'very careful about such approvals.'"[4]

Refusal to begin presidential transition

See also: Presidential transition of Joe Biden and Attempt to dispute the apparent results of the 2020 United States Presidential Election

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 (the "ascertainment" determination) allowing Biden's transition team to begin work to facilitate an orderly transition of power.[7][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.[7][2] 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.[7][2] 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.[15]

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, writing in a joint statement: "Our country is in the middle of twin crises: a global pandemic and a severe economic downturn. The pandemic will make any transition more complicated. At this period of heightened risk for our nation, we do not have a single day to spare to begin the transition. For the good of the nation, we must start now."[22][23] On November 13, the Washington Post profiled Emily Wang Murphy, a DC lawyer who was being contacted by members of the public mistaking her for GSA administrator Emily Webster Murphy.[24]

On November 16, ABC News reported that Murphy was making inquiries about new employment for 2021.[25]

On November 18, CNN reporters Kristin Holmes and Jeremy Herb published a profile of Murphy that included laudatory statements from her colleagues, who described her as a professional who "demonstrated a high degree of integrity" and an "ethical and moral person". According to the sources, Murphy was neither a "Trump person" nor a "partisan hack".[15] The piece described Murphy as "struggling with the weight of the presidential election being dropped on her shoulders, feeling like she’s been put in a no-win situation". The Washington Post's Daniel W. Drezner took issue with that characterization in a piece titled "The Self-Inflicted Agony of Emily Murphy".[26]

On November 19, the Chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform formally requested that Murphy brief Congress "on your ongoing refusal to grant the Biden-Harris Transition Team access to critical services and facilities".[27][28] The same day, the National Association of Manufacturers issued a statement calling "on the administrator of the General Services Administration to sign the letter of ascertainment immediately so that this consistent process in American democracy can begin", a sentiment echoed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.[29][30]

On November 20, 2020, 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." The letter set a response deadline of November 23, 2020.[31]

The Trump administration's attempt to undermine the election result, including the refusal to cooperate in the transition, has been described as an attempted coup.[8][32][33][34][35]

References

  1. ^ a b 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.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ a b 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.
  5. ^ Birnbaum, Emily (August 27, 2018). "Watchdog says administration officials made misleading statements on FBI headquarters". The Hill. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  6. ^ Review of GSA's Revised Plan for the Federal Bureau of Investigation Headquarters Consolidation Project (PDF) (Report). Office of Inspector General, U.S. General Services Administration. August 28, 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d 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.
  8. ^ a b Rucker, Philip; Gardner, Amy; Dawsey, Josh (November 19, 2020). "Trump uses power of presidency to try to overturn the election and stay in office". The Washington Post.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "Emily Murphy Confirmed to Lead the U.S. General Services Administration". Mechanical Contractors Association of America. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  11. ^ "Jim Murphy, Jr. Receives MCAA Honor". ConstructForSTL. March 24, 2015. Archived from the original on December 7, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ "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.Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the General Services Administration.
  15. ^ a b c 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.
  16. ^ "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. Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the White House.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ a b c d e Blumenthal, Paul (July 3, 2019). "Democratic Probe Of Trump's Role In Keeping FBI HQ Across From His Hotel Deepens". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  20. ^ Tau, Byron; Gurman, Sadie (August 27, 2018). "Trump Was Involved in FBI Headquarters Plan, Watchdog Says". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  21. ^ a b O'Connell, Jonathan (August 27, 2018). "White House role in FBI headquarters plan detailed in watchdog report". The Washington Post. ProQuest 2094240193. Archived from the original on October 16, 2020.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ Heim, Joe (November 13, 2020). "Emily W. Murphy is hearing from Americans demanding she do her job. There's just one problem: She's not that Emily W. Murphy". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. ProQuest 2460204268. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  25. ^ Faulders, Katherine; Flaherty, Anne; Siegel, Benjamin (November 16, 2020). "GSA official blocking Biden's transition appears to privately plan post-Trump career". ABC News. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  26. ^ Drezner, Daniel W. (November 18, 2020). "The self-inflicted agony of Emily Murphy". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. ProQuest 2461653243. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  27. ^ Cheney, Kyle (November 19, 2020). "Democrats demand briefing from GSA chief on delay in ascertaining Biden's win". Politico. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  28. ^ "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)
  29. ^ Coleman, Justine (November 18, 2020). "Manufacturers association calls on GSA to begin transition process". The Hill. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  30. ^ Gangitano, Alex (November 19, 2020). "Chamber of Commerce CEO: Trump 'should not delay the transition a moment longer'". The Hill. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  31. ^ "House Democrats tell GSA chief her refusal to certify Biden's win is "having grave effects"". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  32. ^ Editorial Board (November 18, 2020). "Trump's coup might not work. But he may pave the way for the next failed candidate". The Washington Post.
  33. ^ Chait, Jonathan (November 17, 2020). "A Disturbing Number of Republicans Support Trump's Coup Attempt". Intelligencer.
  34. ^ Poole, Steven (November 20, 2020). "As Donald Trump refuses to concede: the etymology of 'coup'". The Guardian.
  35. ^ Buchanan, Neil H. (November 19, 2020). "Yes, Trump Is (Still) Engaged in an Attempted Coup; and Yes, It Might Lead to a Constitutional Crisis and a Breaking Point". verdict.justia.com.
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