Several EOP staff said they believed  that what they observed during the transition, such as broken furniture and  excessive trash left behind, was done intentionally. Some former Clinton administration staff acknowledged that they had  observed a few keyboards with missing “W” keys and some prank signs at  the end of the administration. However, the former Clinton administration  staff we interviewed also said that (1) the amount of trash that was  observed during the transition was what could be expected when staff  move out of their offices after 8 years; (2) they did not take the items that  were discovered missing; (3) some furniture was broken, but not  intentionally, before the transition and little money was spent on repairs  and upkeep during the administration; and (4) many of the reported  observations were not of vandalism. Appendix III  discusses steps to help prevent damage to government property during  future presidential transitions. Conclusions

Damage, theft, vandalism, and pranks occurred in the White House  complex during the 2001 presidential transition. 2. 3. The GAO reports that “EOP staff . 1. 4.
What GAO Found

Damage, theft, vandalism, and pranks occurred in the White House complex during the 2001 presidential transition. Several Executive Office of the President (EOP) staff claim that they observed (1) messy offices containing excessive trash or personal items, (2) numerous prank signs containing derogatory and offensive statements about the president, (3) government property that was damaged, and (4) missing items. Further, EOP staff believed that what they observed during the transition was done intentionally. Some former Clinton administration staff acknowledged that they observed some damaged items and prank signs. However, the former Clinton administration staff said that (1) the amount of trash found during the transition was what could be expected; (2) they did not take the missing items; (3) some furniture was unintentionally broken before the transition, and little money was spent on repairs and upkeep during the administration; and (4) many of the reported observations were not of vandalism. This report makes several recommendations regarding the prevention and documentation of vandalism during future presidential transitions.