Attorney General William Barr has authorized federal prosecutors across the U.S. to pursue "substantial allegations" of voting irregularities before the 2020 presidential election is certified, despite no evidence of widespread fraud.
It gives prosecutors the ability to go around longstanding Justice Department policy that normally would prohibit such overt actions before the election is certified.
President Trump has not conceded the election and is instead claiming without evidence that there has been a widespread, multi-state conspiracy by Democrats to skew the vote tally in Biden’s favor.
Barr’s action comes days after Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump. It raises the prospect that President Trump will use the Justice Department to try to challenge the outcome.
Additional reporting by the Associated Press.
