Trump’s transition team loses a key figure as he struggles to find his footing

In this Sept. 18, 2014 file photo, then-Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., questions witnesses during a full committee hearing on the threat posed by Islamic extremists, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File) In this Sept. 18, 2014 file photo, then-Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., questions witnesses during a full committee hearing on the threat posed by Islamic extremists, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

By Associated Press November 15, 2016 15 min read

More about Trump’s team

WASHINGTON – The shoot-from-the-hip style that helped Donald Trump win the presidency is now playing out in his transition to governing.

An insular group of loyalists and family members are at the helm, giving the public little information. A top establishment figure abruptly departed the transition team. And officials from across the federal government say they have heard nothing from the people who are supposed to take their place two months from now.

By Tuesday, a week after his election, Trump’s team had yet to discuss even basic elements of the government handoff with key players at the Pentagon, the State Department and other vital agencies, in large part because of a delay in signing the paperwork dictating the nuts and bolts of the process.

“We are standing by ready to assist,” said Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman.

“We stand ready,” said State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau.