Thread by @weareoversight

DOJ’s inspector general’s office is investigating whether any former or current DOJ officials tried to have DOJ alter the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Here’s how we’re using FOIA requests to investigate potential DOJ efforts to undermine the election results.

Just a few days after Biden was projected as the winner, then-Attorney General William Barr issued a memo that authorized federal prosecutors to pursue any “substantial allegations” of election irregularities — in apparent support of Trump’s unfounded claims.

The directive, a departure from longstanding Justice Department policy prohibiting such overt investigations before official election results are certified, drew fierce criticism from career prosecutors.
nytimes.com/2020/11/13/us/…

We submitted Freedom of Information Act requests seeking directives about election fraud investigation sent to U.S. attorneys in the run-up to and the immediate days after the election.
americanoversight.org/document/foia-…

We’re also seeking Justice Department officials’ communications with external entities about such investigations, including with conservative legal activist Leonard Leo.
americanoversight.org/document/foia-…

Read more about our efforts to shed light on ways federal and state officials abetted Trump’s efforts to promote baseless claims of voter fraud to undermine the election’s legitimacy:
americanoversight.org/investigation/…