News release: “The U.S. Government Accountability Office  has initiated an investigation of conflicts of interest and other problems affecting President Trump’s transition. The review was requested in November 2016 by U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.  The Members of Congress initially raised questions “about the extent to which Mr. Trump’s conflicts of interest and other problems affecting his transition are compromising the use of taxpayer funds,” as well as whether or not the transition team had followed appropriate national security protocols for communicating with foreign governments, in the time leading up to Trump’s inauguration. In a letter confirming they will examine the questions posed by the Members of Congress, the GAO said the review will include “what ethics-related provisions apply to those involved in a transition,” how privately raised funds, as well as those allocated to the transition by the General Services Administration, were managed and spent, what information and services were provided by the Office of Government Ethics to the transition team regarding conflicts-of-interest and how the 2017 transition compared with those of previous years, and what services and information were offered and utilized by the transition team, the Vice President-Elect and President-Elect regarding communications with foreign governments. To view the letter sent by Senator Warren and Representative Cummings, click here (PDF).”