Attorney General William Barr sent a memo to employees stating serious allegations of election fraud should be investigated, especially since it may impact the outcome of the 2020 presidential results. Most media outlets criticized the move, saying there is no evidence of voter fraud. Meanwhile, sworn affidavits allege a series of troubling accusations in Michigan.
Summary
Attorney General William Barr issued a memo to Justice Department attorneys authorizing them to investigate allegations of voter fraud and other irregularities related to the 2020 presidential election.
- According to Politico, Barr’s memo acknowledged the orders are a departure from previous election-related policies with the DOJ, but “that policy made little sense in cases in which fraud that could affect the outcome of an election was suspected.”
- Axios reported a quote from the memo in which Barr provides his team with instructions that “serious allegations” be addressed “with great care” while emphasizing baseless claims of fraudulent behavior not be considered enough to begin investigations.
- The memo directing DOJ to expand its investigatory efforts into election-related irregularities spurred the head of the Department’s Elections Crime Branch to resign in protest.
- The latest allegations of improprieties come from Michigan, where several affidavits were filed claiming interference in the observation of mail-in ballots and elections workers alleged to have been “coaching” voters to vote for Democrat candidates.
- Earlier in the week, the Trump campaign filed a lawsuit in Pennsylvania claiming the state’s mail-in voting procedures violates the Constitution with an “illegal two-tiered voting system.”
- The New York Times quoted a retired career-DOJ attorney now teaching law, calling the memo “one of the more problematic acts of any attorney general” in recent years.
- The Daily Beast quotes unnamed sources from the Trump campaign criticizing the memo as “too little, too late.”
- Liberal outlet The Guardian leans heavily on criticism of Barr, saying he “has proven himself willing to imperil the reputation for impartiality” of the DOJ.
- The Daily Caller’s reporting emphasized the caution Barr ordered to staff in order to ensure political neutrality.
- Earlier in the week, the Daily Wire reported on a letter from more than three dozen Republican members of Congress imploring Barr’s DOJ to investigate allegations of fraudulent election activity.
- The Federalist listed a few instances of alleged irregular activities while reporting on Barr’s memo. The outlet also provides other commentary on alleged fraudulent election activity that have not been covered in mainstream media.
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© Dallas Gerber, 2020
