Republican No. 2 man Dick Cheney said yesterday he was “disappointed” in the Clinton administration for locking the door to the presidential transition offices.
President Clinton denied dissing the GOP team, but congressional Republicans announced a hearing to look at the situation.
“We believe the government has an obligation to honor the certified results of the election,” said Cheney, speaking from the Ronald Reagan federal office building.
Cheney added that he and Texas Gov. George W. Bush are “disappointed . . . that they will continue to deny us access to taxpayer funds . . . set aside to pay for the transition.”
Cheney, recovering from a heart attack last week – his fourth since 1978 – was making his first public appearance since getting out of the hospital the day after Thanksgiving.
He vowed to press ahead by raising money and moving staff from Texas to Washington.
Working from the nation’s capital, Cheney said he will oversee a transition team that includes Bush chief of staff Clay Johnson and spokesman Ari Fleischer.
Even as Team Bush dived confidently into transition – acting as if the White House would soon be theirs – the governor steered clear of the title “president-elect.”
Aides said he would not use it while Vice President Al Gore is challenging the election.
“Mr. Bush, what are we supposed to call you?” one reporter asked as the Republican left the Texas Capitol building in Austin.
As for naming Cabinet members, Cheney said, “I expect we will be selecting Cabinet secretaries. We’ve already spent a lot of time talking about that between ourselves.”
He didn’t say when potential appointees would be publicly named. The Bush campaign has already said he will tap Colin Powell as secretary of state and Condoleezza Rice as national security adviser.
In all, 3,000 top positions will be filled by the new president.
At stake in the short term is 90,000 square feet of office space in downtown Washington – along with money to hire workers and furniture, machines and equipment to outfit it.
As it has for every president since John F. Kennedy, Congress set aside money to cover the cost of easing into the White House: $5.3 million for staff, background checks and writing a budget.
By law, the incoming president can receive private donations up to $5,000, and Cheney said he and Bush are open to contributions, though not from corporations.
Typically, the president-elect moves into the transition space – at 1800 F St. – on Nov. 8 and uses it until the Jan. 20 inauguration. Right now it’s empty, save for a few staffers and phone lines.
Rep. Sam Horn (R-Calif.), who chairs a House government subcommittee, announced he’s holding a hearing to “ensure that the presidential transition act is properly implemented.”
The hearing, which may coincide with an identical Senate review, would include testimony from aides in previous administrations, as well as from the current White House.
While Cheney said it’s typical for the incoming presidential team to get keys to the offices, the office space is actually opened with electronic swipe cards.
Clinton signed an executive order yesterday aimed at smoothing the transition from him to either Bush or Gore.
A week ago, Clinton chief of staff John Podesta sent a memo to the General Services Administration and other federal agencies telling them not to OK any transition until the legal mess quiets down.
“The election challenge will play itself out,” Clinton said yesterday.
Podesta spoke briefly yesterday with Andy Card, Bush’s designated chief of staff, said a White House spokeswoman. Podesta will likely meet Card later this week, and he’ll offer to meet with Gore aides, the spokeswoman said.
The decision to deny Team Bush access to office space was made by the GSA, whose head, David Barram, is set to resign Friday.
His office released a brief statement vowing only to “work with both campaigns.”