WASHINGTON (IslamOnline) - George W. Bush will start receiving “President’s Daily Briefings” from the CIA, following regular transition procedures for presidents elected to take over from previous administrations.
The briefing will also be sent to Vice Pesident-elect Richard Cheney and Condoleezza Rice, Bush’s highest foreign policy advisor if he decides to choose her as his National Security Advisor.
Bush will receive the briefings six days a week, that would include CIA daily summaries, images and intelligence reports from around the world, MSNBC said.
His opponent, Al Gore, receives similar briefings because of his current position as vice president.
Meanwhile, the Bush team decided to set up a not-for-profit organization in order to start collecting funds necessary for the presidential transition.
The Bush-Cheney Presidential Transition Foundation Inc, will seek approval from the Internal Revenue Service for tax-exempt status under section 501(c)4 of the tax code, a status that does not give donors a tax deduction for their gifts.
Earlier this week, the General Services Administration refused to release $5.3 million designated for new presidents to fund presidential transitions.
The GSA said that the dispute over the Florida ballot, which ultimately will decide the next president, is not over yet, therefore the funds and the keys to the transition offices in D.C. could not be released to Bush.
Cheney has said that the new foundation would seek donations of from private persons only and not corporations, although they are lawfully permitted to seek donations from them, keeping individual donations within the$5,000 per donor limit.
The foundation will be able to receive in-kind donations like loaned cars and loaned office space from supporters. Cheney said they would also restrict in-kind donations within the $5,000 cap.
The Bush team said they would promptly disclose all donations they receive.
According to federal law, all donations should be fully disclosed within 30 days of inauguration of the new president.
