Attorney General Barr authorized federal prosecutors to investigate allegations of voting irregularities in the 2020 election, if the allegations are “substantial” and could impact the “outcome of a federal election in an individual State.” The memo notes that the authorization does not indicate that the DOJ has found any voting irregularities that have impacted the outcome of the election and that “most allegations of purported election misconduct are of such a scale that they would not impact the outcome of an election.”
More context: Barr acknowledged that the DOJ has historically waited to investigate any allegations of voting irregularities until after results are certified, but that the policy would not allow enough time to rectify any potential issues.
Extra: The memo prompted Richard Pilger, the DOJ official who oversees voting crimes investigations, to step down.
