The Interior Department’s senior law enforcement official has taken helm of its transition effort as agencies prepare for a possible changeover in administrations.
Robert MacLean, director of the department’s Office of Law Enforcement and Security, has been named Interior’s “agency transition director.” The role is given to a senior career official who prepares their respective agency for a possible transition period after a presidential election, gathering briefing materials, readying staff and coordinating with an incoming administration’s transition team.
The job of transition director, handling the power switch between fierce political opponents, can be delicate and difficult — as was demonstrated by the bumpy last transition when former President Donald Trump didn’t concede his defeat in the 2020 election. Trump is running again for the White House, squaring off with his previous rival, President Joe Biden.
The selection of MacLean as Interior’s transition director was sent to the General Services Administration on Monday, Interior spokesperson Melissa Schwartz told E&E News.
