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The decision gives prosecutors the option to override the Justice Department’s longstanding policy that would normally prohibit such measures before elections are formally certified.
US Attorney General William Barr has authorized federal attorneys across the country to investigate “strong allegations” of voting irregularities, if any, before the 2020 presidential election is certified, despite little evidence of fraud. .
Barr’s move was announced days after Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump at the polls and raises the possibility of Trump using the Justice Department to try to contest the outcome.
The decision offers prosecutors the option to override the Department of Justice’s longstanding policy that would normally prohibit such measures before the election is formally certified.
Trump did not acknowledge his defeat, instead stating without proof that there was a multi-state conspiracy by Democrats to skew the vote count in Biden’s favor.
Biden has a sizeable advantage in several contested states, and there are no indications of enough undervalued or illegally cast votes to change the outcome. Indeed, election officials from both political parties have publicly stated that the elections went well, although there were minor problems typical of elections, including failures in some voting machines and votes that were wrong and lost.
In a memo to federal prosecutors, obtained by the Associated Press, Barr wrote that investigations “can be conducted if there are clear and seemingly credible allegations of wrongdoing that, if true, could affect the outcome of an election. federal state in a specific state. “
He added that complaints that “clearly do not impact the outcome of a federal election” should be postponed until after the elections have been certified and that prosecutors should open preliminary investigations in those cases, which has injured investigators and prosecutors in seeing if there is evidence that allows them to undertake further investigations.
Barr did not mention specific examples of alleged fraud in the note.
“While it is imperative that credible allegations are addressed in a timely and effective manner, it is equally imperative that Department staff exercise due caution and maintain the Department’s absolute commitment to fairness, neutrality and non-partyism,” he wrote. Barr. .
States have until December 8 to resolve electoral disputes, including recounting and legal disputes over the results. The members of the Electoral College meet on December 14 to formalize the result.
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