House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) is taking aim at U.S. Attorney General William Barr after he authorized federal prosecutors to “pursue substantial allegations of voting and vote tabulation irregularities” before the 2020 presidential election is certified.
Calling Barr’s memo from Monday “both flawed and deeply disturbing,” Nadler said in a statement on Tuesday, “It is unlikely to open new legal avenues for the Trump campaign, but speaks to Barr’s dangerous and irresponsible impulse to pander to the President’s worst instincts.”
He continued, “The Department of Justice cannot open an investigation into election fraud or any other crime without a proper basis in evidence. As the memo appears to concede, there is no evidence whatsoever of widespread voter fraud.”
Barr wrote in the memo 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,” as IJR reported.
Nadler blasted Barr, saying that the U.S. attorney general may believe he is “merely humoring” President Donald Trump but this authorization “is as short-sighted as it is cynical and destructive,” as the lawmaker put it.
He wrote in the statement:
“To be clear, Barr cannot change the outcome of the election — but in aiding President Trump in spreading lies about election officials, and in seeding doubts about the legitimacy of the election without a shred of evidence to back up their claims, Barr and the President’s other enablers threaten real harm to our country.”
Nadler ended his statement by saying, “One way or the other, Donald Trump will be out of office in a matter of weeks. History will remember their conduct between now and then.”
Shortly after Barr’s memo, a top Department of Justice election crimes official stepped down from his position after “having familiarized myself with the new policy and its ramifications,” Richard Pilger, director of the elections crimes branch in the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section, wrote in an email.
Over the weekend, several major outlets projected now-President-elect Joe Biden as the winner in this year’s presidential election. However, Trump has refused to concede and his campaign has filed several lawsuits. The president has claimed the election results are flawed, without evidence.
