Pentagon says pause in briefings with Biden transition team 'mutually agreed upon'

The Pentagon on Friday pushed back on reports it has stopped talks and briefings with the Biden transition team, saying both sides settled on a "mutually-agreed upon holiday pause." 

"At no time has the department cancelled or declined any interview," said acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller.

A senior Pentagon official told Just the News the department intends to fully brief the Biden team before next month's inauguration. 

"With COVID and holiday PTO, we needed to reschedule these meetings but the Biden team will not lose a step on getting up to speed," the official said.

Miller also said in a statement that the Pentagon has offered "139 interviews sessions [with] more than 200 DoD personnel, 161 requests for information, and disclosed thousands of pages of non-public and classified documents" with Biden's Agency Review Team.

"After the mutually-agreed upon holiday pause, which begins tomorrow, we will continue with the transition and rescheduled meetings from today," Miller also said the statement. 

The Biden team has disputed the pause as one that was "mutually agreed upon." 

"Let me be clear: there was no mutually agreed upon holiday break,” Biden transition team Executive Director Yohannes Abraham told media on Friday. “In fact, we think it's important that briefings and other engagements continue during this period, as there's no time to spare.”