With his boss trying to drum up some voter fraud noise…..
Attorney General Barr joins the effort….
In the past….
The Justice Dept. does NOT generally do political investigations during actual voting time….
Attorney General William P. Barr on Monday gave federal prosecutors approval to pursue allegations of “vote tabulation irregularities” in certain cases before results are certified and indicated he had already done so “in specific instances” — a reversal of long-standing Justice Department policy that quickly drew criticism for fueling unfounded claims of massive election fraud pushed by President Trump and other conservatives.
The two-page memo comes as the Trump campaign and its allies have urged the department to investigate their claims, despite little evidence that such fraud exists. Justice Department officials had previously confirmed they were looking into allegations in Nevada, and had referred other information out of Michigan to the FBI.
In his memo, circulated two days after results showed former vice president Joe Biden had defeated Trump, Barr seemed to take aim at previous guidance from the Justice Department’s Election Crimes Branch that said prosecutors should not — in most instances — take overt steps in voter fraud or related investigations until after election results are in and certified. The guidance was designed to ensure that voters and state and local election officials, rather than the federal government, decide the results.
Barr’s action has resulted in the top Justice lawyer responsible for voter fraud quitting….
Top Justice Department Official Quits….
Attorney General William Barr’s authorization to investigate “specific allegations” of voter fraud prompted the Justice Department official who oversees investigations of voter fraud, Richard Pilger, to step down from the post within hours, the New York Timesreports.
“Mr. Barr’s directive ignored the Justice Department’s longstanding policies intended to keep law enforcement from affecting the outcome of an election. And it followed a move weeks before the election in which the department lifted a prohibition on voter fraud investigations before an election.”