By Jacob Jarvis
Senior Reporter
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A faked letter claimed to be from the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) telling Joe Biden and Kamala Harris they have been deemed election victors is spreading online.
The mocked-up correspondence dated November 8, which begins "Dear President-Elect Biden" and is addressed to him under the same title, tells Biden and Harris they are president and vice-president elect for the purposes of the Presidential Transition Act of 1963.
However, such a message has not been sent by the GSA, which has not yet made such a call as that outlined in the fake letter shared on social media.
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"An ascertainment has not yet been made. GSA and its Administrator will continue to abide by, and fulfill, all requirements under the law," a spokesperson for the GSA told Newsweek.
"The GSA Administrator does not pick the winner in the Presidential election."
Outlining the actions it does take following an election further, the spokesperson added: "In accordance with the Presidential Transition Act of 1963 (PTA), as amended, the GSA Administrator ascertains the apparent successful candidate once a winner is clear based on the process laid out in the Constitution.
"The Administrator's ascertainment is done for the purposes of making services provided by the PTA available. Until an ascertainment is made, the statute allows for the Biden Transition Team to continue to receive the pre-elect services from the government (e.g., limited office space, computers, background investigations for security clearances).
"GSA has met all statutory requirements under the PTA for this election cycle and will continue to do so."
The Washington Post has reported on such a letter not having being signed yet, quoting an anonymous senior administration official who said that "no agency head is going to get out in front of the president on transition issues right now."
Newsweek has contacted Biden's team to ask what correspondence it expects from the GSA.
While networks have declared Biden and Harris winners, with state calls showing them to have surpassed the 270 Electoral College votes needed to secure the White House, President Donald Trump has as yet refused to concede.
His campaign team is expected to bring a raft of election-related lawsuits and also expects recounts in some states.
Biden's team has already launched a transition website and a Twitter account.
Over the weekend, Kate Bedingfield, who was Biden's deputy campaign manager, said that Biden's team had not yet had any correspondence from anyone within Trump's camp.
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