Page:CTRL0000034609 - Transcribed Interview of Kashyap Pramod Patel, (December 9, 2021).pdf/118

118 Yeah. I don't—

So—

I don't believe we ever entertained a month-long delay in the transition. That would've contravened the orders we received from the White House, so I just don't think it's something we would've done.

You don't believe it's something that you would have done?

Would have done, would have stopped the transition for that period of time that you stated, approximately 1 month, because the instructions of the White House were clear: Go. What I believe is I gave my guys and gals a day off, and I do remember it coming out in the media that we were stopping transition, and that just wasn't the case. As the chief of staff, I have to take the temperature of the men and women that are doing the work, and I thought they needed to take a knee.

So the people who we—who as part of the investigation said that there was no engaging with the Trump DOD from mid-December until January, that in your mind is just not accurate?

I don't believe so, because the—one of the priorities for the transition was Operation Warp Speed, and there was no way we could get that done and hand it off if we took a 3- to 4-week break. And, in fact, my recollection is, specifically on Warp Speed, since it was so prominent at the time, we had yet to roll out or were rolling out the vaccination program, there was constant communication at least in that part of the transition. So I don't see how we would have turned one on and stopped another. I just don't recall that.

I want to go on to your appointments, their potential appointments to—first, to the CIA. Let's start with that one. How did you became—become aware of it?