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Attorney General William Barr says the rule for states to take over investigations is not strict.
The United States Department of Justice has given the green light to federal prosecutors to launch an investigation into alleged irregularities in voting in the presidential elections.
These investigations are usually the prerogative of each state, but Attorney General William Barr said this rule is not strict.
A senior Justice Ministry official resigned after reading the minister’s memo.
President Donald Trump still refuses to admit that the election was lost, citing unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud.
And his campaign, meanwhile, seeks to obtain an emergency injunction in Pennsylvania to prevent the state from backing Democratic candidate Joe Biden’s victory in it.
Biden’s long-awaited victory was announced there on Saturday, pushing him past the electoral college’s 270-vote limit, which is the minimum necessary to secure a nationwide victory.
A spokeswoman for Trump promised that the legal battle to challenge Biden’s victory was still in its infancy.
“This election is not over. It is beyond that,” White House press secretary Kylie McNani said at a news conference.
What does the Minister of Justice say?
The attorney general wrote that federal prosecutors may conduct investigations “if there are clear and credible allegations of wrongdoing and, if true, is likely to affect the outcome of federal state elections.”
Barr said that plaintiffs should only consider “material allegations” of wrongdoing and “allegations that are misleading, speculative, delusional or implausible should be ignored.”
He acknowledged that only the states have primary responsibility for conducting the elections, but said the Justice Department “must be committed to ensuring that federal elections are conducted in a way that the American people have full confidence in the electoral process and in their government. “.
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The White House still supported Trump’s claims.
Richard Pilger, the Justice Department official who would oversee such investigations, resigned in response to the minister’s note.
He wrote in an email to his colleagues saying: “After I realized the new policy and its consequences … unfortunately I have to resign my position.”
Separately, the Trump campaign filed a lawsuit Monday in federal court in Pennsylvania, seeking an emergency order to prevent state officials from certifying Biden’s victory in the state.
The state attorney general, Josh Shapiro, described the lawsuit as “unfounded.”
Meanwhile, prosecutors in Republican-controlled states have supported the president’s defiance of the election results.
All 10 state prosecutors have reported to state supreme courts in support of the Trump campaign case in Pennsylvania.
What are Biden and Trump trying to do?
Ever since the media predicted on Saturday that Biden would win the important state of Pennsylvania and get enough votes to make it to the White House, the president-elect has pushed ahead with plans to take the reins of power.
Trump returned to Twitter Monday to protest the result, making unsubstantiated allegations of “unimaginably illegal” voting activity.
The Public Services Administration, which runs federal agencies, has postponed Biden’s aides formally beginning the transition, saying there is no “confirmation” yet of who will win the election.
CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, says Biden’s team is examining its legal options if the Trump administration continues to block extradition.
White House reporters say that despite Trump’s objections, he is expected to reluctantly step down in January and has already talked about running again for president in 2024.
