Allegations of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election are the subject of a federal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) – with the agency instructing its state offices to look into “credible” claims involving electoral irregularities.
Typically, the feds wait until elections have been formally certified to initiate such actions.
U.S attorney general William Barr authorized the inquiry, urging U.S. attorneys across the nation to conduct inquiries “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.”
Specifically, Barr authorized inquiries into “substantial allegations of voting and vote tabulation irregularities prior to the certification of elections in your jurisdictions.”
“It is imperative that the American people can trust that our elections were conducted in such a way that the outcomes accurately reflect the will of the voters,” Barr wrote in a memo to DOJ leaders and U.S. attorneys across the nation. “Although the states have the primary responsibility to conduct and supervise elections under our Constitution and the laws enacted by congress, (DOJ) has an obligation to ensure that federal elections are conducted in such a way that the American people can have full confidence in their electoral process and their government.”
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has been declared the winner of the 2020 election by numerous media outlets after apparently defeating U.S. president Donald Trump by narrow margins in four critical swing states.
(Click to view)
(Via: The White House)
Trump and his backers have claimed these wins are illegitimate, but as of this writing they have yet to put forth an evidence-based narrative supporting their contention that fraudulent votes provided Biden with his winning margins in swing states like Arizona (+0.5 percent), Georgia (+0.2 percent), Pennsylvania (+0.7 percent) and Wisconsin (+0.7 percent).
Those four states comprise a total of 57 electoral votes. If Trump were to somehow wind up winning Pennsylvania and two of the other three states, he would win a second term.
Were he to lose Pennsylvania but wind up winning the other three states, the 2020 election would – get this – end in a tie.
Which would throw it into the U.S. House of Representatives where state delegations would determine the outcome.
In addition to the four states mentioned above, allegations of voter fraud have been made in the swing states of Michigan and Nevada – which Biden appears to have carried by identical 2.7 percent margins.
Are we saying Biden’s win was illegitimate? No.
Certainly there are troubling reports involving a host of alleged irregularities, but until provided with concrete evidence of a “rigged race” we are going to continue to trust the system.
Trust … but verify, as the old Russian proverb advises.
Trump hailed the news of the investigation on his Twitter feed – which has come under escalating censorship in the aftermath of the contested vote.
“WE WILL WIN!” Trump tweeted.
Republican leaders in congress also hailed the news, having previously pressured Barr to begin advancing such a line of inquiry.
“What are you doing to ensure the integrity of the voting and counting process right now?” forty GOP members of congress wrote Barr on Friday.
Not everyone was pleased with Barr’s decision, however.
Richard Pilger – the head of DOJ’s voter crimes unit – stepped down from his post after receiving Barr’s memo.
“Having familiarized myself with the new policy and its ramifications … I must regretfully resign from my role,” Pilger wrote in a letter to Barr.
Readers may recall Pilger as one of the bureaucrats involved in the infamous 2013 Internal Revenue Service (IRS) targeting scandal – in which the agency singled out tax-exempt applications for “intensive scrutiny” based on whether they had conservative or liberty-themed names.
Again, our view on all of this is simple: The ballot is a sacred thing – which is why every legally cast vote must be fought for tooth and nail.
“To disenfranchise an American – any American – in any election is a travesty,” we wrote in the aftermath of the election. “A stain on democracy.”
Voter fraud is also a stain on democracy too, however – as fraudulent votes have the practical effect of disenfranchisement.
According, we wholeheartedly support DOJ’s efforts to coordinate investigations into voter fraud allegations – as should any American who values the integrity of our Democratic processes. Without partisanship or preconception, we should all allow this important work to be undertaken.
-FITSNews
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