Former Attorney General Bill Barr improperly urged a Pennsylvania prosecutor to make public statements about election security concerns in the 2020 race, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Inspector General (OIG) said in a statement. report Thursday.
Barr weighed in on the issue of mail-in ballots discovered in a dumpster in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, contributing to a public statement that included “selective details” about the investigation, the OIG report states.
The investigation found that Barr and U.S. Attorney David Freed erred on department policy by publicly discussing an investigation and misled the public.
“Almost every DOJ lawyer we interviewed – both career officials and Trump administration political appointees – emphasized how ‘unusual’ it would be for the department to issue a public statement containing details about an ongoing criminal investigation, especially before any charges are filed. presented”, the report states.
Inspector General Michael Horowitz, however, did not accuse either man of misconduct.
Freed’s statement contained specific details about the ballots, including that all of the discovered ballots contained votes for former President Trump. Barr allegedly we discuss these details with Trump himself, who spoke publicly about the case in a radio interview and during his first debate with then-candidate Joe Biden, attracting additional scrutiny.
Horowitz said he was “concerned” that Barr shared details with Trump, but said the decision did not violate department policy.
No charges were filed in connection with the ballots. Investigators concluded that the ballots were accidentally discarded by a poorly trained and mentally disabled election worker, and the votes were ultimately counted.
The report recommends that the Justice Department rewrite its policies on how information is shared with the White House. It also urges the Office of Special Counsel to investigate whether Barr or Freed’s actions could have violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from making political statements.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
