On Monday, Attorney General William Barr gave federal prosecutors the green light to investigate voter irregularities, despite no evidence of fraud.
Barr wrote in a memo to U.S. attorneys that investigations “may be conducted if there are clear and apparently-credible allegations of irregularities that, if true, could potentially impact the outcome of a federal election in an individual State.” The memo went on to add, “While it is imperative that credible allegations be addressed in a timely and effective manner, it is equally imperative that Department personnel exercise appropriate caution and maintain the Department’s absolute commitment to fairness, neutrality, and non-partisanship.”
The decision was announced just days after Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in a tense race. According to the Associated Press, tapping the Justice Department to look into the voter fraud claims gives prosecutors the ability to work around policy that would normally prohibit such an investigation before the election is certified.
Trump’s claims of voter fraud are primarily based on Biden’s lead in multiple battleground states as well as the large number of mail-in votes that came in this year. The unstable ex-president has not conceded and likely will not until the investigation and recount are completed.
Nowhere in Barr’s memo did he specify specific instances of fraud.
