As President Donald Trump has refused to accept electoral defeat, he has been backed in his intransigence by an obscure administration official who has so far declined to greenlight funding and procedures for the handoff of power to President-elect Joseph Biden.

In the days since Biden was widely projected to become the 46th president, Trump has questioned the legitimacy of the election and asserted, without evidence, that the vote was tainted by fraud. World leaders and former President George W. Bush have congratulated Biden, but Trump declared the “election is far from over,” and he is preparing to request recounts in closely contested states.