INDIAN AMERICAN APPOINTED CO-CHAIR OF CLINTON TRANSITION PROJECT
Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, speaks during the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 27, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images)
An Indian American has been appointed as one of the four co-chairs to the Clinton campaign’s Transition Project, which would oversee “smooth transition of power” to new President if Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate, wins the November elections, writes Lalit K. Jha. – @Siliconeer #Siliconeer #HillaryClinton #Hillary #AmericaVotes #USPresidentialElections2016
The Clinton-Kaine Transition Project, headed by the former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, has been tasked to ensure “smooth transition of power” including identifying key senior position in the new administration if Clinton and her running mate Tim Kaine win the November 8 general elections, a media release by Clinton campaign said.
Salazar will serve alongside four co-chairs — Indian American president of the Center for American Progress Neera Tanden, former National Security Adviser Tom Donilon, former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, and Maggie Williams, Director of the Institute of Politics, Harvard University.
Tanden, 46, is a long-time associate of Clinton and has worked with her during her senatorial campaign in New York.
She served as Clinton’s policy director for her bid for the presidency in 2008. Tanden later served as policy director for Democrat nominee, President Barack Obama.
Based in Washington, the project is dedicated to preparing for a potential Clinton-Kaine administration, enabling the Brooklyn-based campaign organization to stay exclusively focused on the task of electing Clinton as the nation’s 45th President, it said.
“We are extremely pleased that such an accomplished group of public servants has agreed to lead the transition planning for a potential Clinton-Kaine administration,” said John Podesta, chair of Hillary for America and president of the Transition project.
“While our campaign remains focused on the task at hand of winning in November, Clinton wants to be able to get to work right away as President-elect on building an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top,” he said.
“These individuals, who bring a deep level of experience in the work of presidential transitions, will help us build a team that is ready to govern after the general election,” Podesta said.
“Once Clinton makes history by being elected as the nation’s first woman President, we want to have a turnkey operation in place so she can hit the ground running right away,” Salazar said.
“This transition team will undertake the preparations necessary to ensure our next President has the resources and staff to carry out this all-important work,” he said.
The Clinton-Kaine Transition Project was officially established through the filing of paperwork two weeks ago with Podesta named as the entity’s president and Hillary for America senior advisor Minyon Moore as Secretary.
A 2010 law, known as the Pre-Election Transition Act, formalized the process for the transfer of powers from one administration to the next, and provided new resources to both party nominees so they each could take steps ahead of the general election to ensure a seamless transition.