Subject: FW: Executive Order regarding Transition
From: "Chris Lu" <[email-masked]>
To: "Anita Dunn" <[email-masked]>, "Dan Pfeiffer" <[email-masked]>
Cc: "John Podesta" <[email-masked]>, "Melody Barnes" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2008 11:18:03 -0500

Anita and Dan --
 
Just wanted to bring this email to your attention.  It's from Blake Gottesman, the deputy WH COS.  Perhaps as early as tomorrow, Bush will sign an executive order creating a transition coordinating council that will be chaired by Josh Bolten, with Gottesman as the vice-chair.  Additional members will be named from different agencies.  The WH will not talk about who they're talking to in either campaign/transition, nor will they give any details about what activities they're taking on our behalf, like processing security clearances.  But it's possible that this could generate some press inquiries, so I wanted to bring this to you.  Also, the WH would like to know who Dana Perino should send press questions to.  Unless you say otherwise, I'll say it's the two of you.
 
Before the actual executive order is issued, the WH will give us a few hours notice.
 
--Chris

________________________________

From: Gottesman, Blake L. [mailto:[email-masked]]
Sent: Tue 10/7/2008 11:48 PM
To: Chris Lu; [email-masked]; Melody Barnes
Cc: Isakson, Curtis M.
Subject: Executive Order regarding Transition

[Close Hold]

John / Chris / Melody:

I am writing to let you know that we intend to announce on Wednesday or Thursday an EO creating a Transition Coordinating Council.  (This is an update to the EO President Clinton signed in November 2000.)  The Press Office would like to use the signing of the EO as an opportunity to talk about the importance the President/Administration attach to a smooth and effective presidential transition and to talk about some of our efforts to date. 

I would like to visit with one of you tomorrow morning to review what we expect the Press Office to say, especially about our contact with the transition representatives of the two candidates.  Both teams are understandably sensitive to appearing presumptuous, and we have been careful to characterize the contacts in a broad and vague enough way that we don't expect them to be troublesome for you.

I'll be available at 202-456-5897 and would be happy to run through the idea with one of you and to get a quick general update about whether you're getting what you need, etc.  Should be a quick call.

Thx,

Blake