Current and former Trump administration officials have privately reached out to President-elect Joe Biden's transition team even as President Donald Trump continues to refuse defeat and falsely claim victory, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Two Biden transition officials said Wednesday that it was only a few current and former Trump administration officials, and they described it as "not a big deal." However, it suggests there are people in Trump's orbit who believe Biden will be the next president even if Trump refuses to concede and his legal team mounts meritless lawsuits to challenge the results in several states.

The news was first reported by CNN.

The officials stressed that the outreach is not in any way a replacement for the national security and Covid-19 briefings the Trump administration refuses to provide Biden's teams.

Trump's refusal to concede has delayed the General Services Administration from certifying Biden's transition, creating a delay that has blocked Biden's team from starting the orderly process of taking over the expansive federal bureaucracy.

Kate Bedingfield, a spokesperson for the Biden transition team, said in a statement Wednesday that despite the outreach, the GSA still needs to certify the transition.