U.S. Attorney General William Barr authorized the Department of Justice to probe “substantial allegations” of voting irregularities in last week’s election, according to the Associated Press and confirmed by Fox News Monday.
#BreakingNews @FoxNews Confirms: US Attorney General William Barr authorizes the Department of Justice to probe 'substantial allegations' of irregularities.
— HARRISFAULKNER (@HARRISFAULKNER) November 9, 2020
The probe comes just days after legacy news outlets declared the presidential race for Democratic candidate Joe Biden while votes are still being counted and recounted in several tipping-point states. President Donald Trump has refused to concede the election until the results have been reviewed, and pending ongoing litigation launched by the campaign across pivotal battlegrounds. Historic mail-in voting raised concerns over voter fraud that could have tipped electoral votes in Biden’s favor in states decided by razor-thin margins.
In a memo to U.S. attorneys, the AP reported, Barr directed 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.”
In Nevada, for example, the Republican Party has raised concerns over confirmed reports of deceased persons voting. In Michigan, the Republican Party has filed a lawsuit over its own election observers being kicked out of polling locations to oversee the process.
A software glitch in one Michigan county’s machines is also alleged to have tallied 6,000 Republican votes for Democrats. The same software was used across 47 different counties in the state that was decided by less than 150,000 votes. The Republican Senate candidate, John James, has also refused to concede the race to Democratic incumbent Gary Peters until legal reviews of voting can be made.
Lawsuits are also currently getting underway in Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.
Investigators don’t have much time, as states have one month to resolve disputes with a deadline for Dec. 8. The Electoral College is slated to convene on Dec. 14, according to the AP.
