Page:CTRL0000034609 - Transcribed Interview of Kashyap Pramod Patel, (December 9, 2021).pdf/109

109 —a lot of conversations that would help—a lot of the material that would help me recollect details on this may be contained in those materials as well because it involved transition, because they were answering the legal questions of, as you said, when does a transition begin. My understanding is a transition begins, my understanding, is when the GSA memorandum was issued for the transition to begin, and I believe we cited that earlier happening on or around November 23, 2020.

Right. So I believe it's November 24th. Did you have any conversations with the White House from the time period of your appointment, November 10th, until GSA green lit the transition about the—

My general recollection from Chief of Staff Meadows is pretty clear. I'm uncertain of the exact date, but he said: You at the Department of Defense are to conduct a full-scale transition to the Biden team immediately and forthright and give them the access that they need and the documents that they need to prepare so we can hand off the national security mission to the incoming administration.

But what was the delay from the November 7th declaration until November 24th, if you know?

Well, so you say declaration on November 7th. I'm not sure entirely what you're referring to, whose declaration. We, the Department of Defense, as best as I recall, could prepare for the transition pursuant to the decisions that would have been made by the Office of General Counsel at DOD once the order from GSA came in to do the transition. I don't know if—I wouldn't characterize in any way, shape, or form that we delayed the transition material, I think, quite the opposite.

That wasn't my question. My question was if you had any insight as to what was going on for that period.

Oh, I don't—yeah, sorry, I don't have insight on that.