US election: Attorney General Barr orders federal prosecutors to investigate claims of irregularities
- Donald Trump has not conceded the election to Democrat Joe Biden, who has secured enough votes in the Electoral College to win the presidency
- Trump’s campaign has also filed a lawsuit to block Pennsylvania officials from certifying Biden’s victory in the battleground state
Barr sent his letter on Monday after days of attacks on the integrity of the election by US President Donald Trump and Republican allies, who have alleged without evidence that there was widespread voter fraud.
Barr told prosecutors that “fanciful or far-fetched claims” should not be a basis for investigation and that his letter did not indicate the Justice Department had uncovered voting irregularities affecting the outcome of the election.
But he did say he was authorising prosecutors to “pursue substantial allegations” of irregularities of voting and the counting of ballots.
Richard Pilger, who for years has served as director of the Election Crimes Branch, announced in an internal email that he was resigning from that post after he read “the new policy and its ramifications.”