A recent report by the Justice Department's watchdog revealed that former Attorney General Bill Barr was personally involved in the decision to publicize an incident from the 2020 election involving nine discarded mail-in ballots for Donald Trump in Pennsylvania. The incident fueled the false narrative of widespread voter fraud but was later determined to be an error by a contractor, leading to no charges being brought.
The inspector general's investigation focused on a press release issued by Justice Department prosecutors in Pennsylvania in September 2020, which Barr encouraged and authorized. The release mentioned potential issues with mail-in ballots and specifically highlighted that the discarded ballots were all cast for President Trump, a detail that raised suspicions of political motives.
While the report found that Barr and the US Attorney's decision to issue the press release went against DOJ rules on public disclosure of ongoing criminal investigations, it concluded that no punishable misconduct occurred due to ambiguity within those rules allowing an attorney general to disclose information in the interest of justice.
The watchdog also raised concerns about Barr privately sharing details of the investigation with Trump before the press release, which Trump later revealed on a radio show. However, Justice Department policy permits the attorney general to inform the president about criminal investigations.
As part of its recommendations, the inspector general suggested clarifications to internal policies regarding investigative details disclosed to the White House and the application of DOJ protocols on public disclosures by the attorney general.
This report follows another recent investigation into a separate incident at the Justice Department under Barr's tenure, where the DOJ submitted a revised sentencing memo in the Roger Stone case. While Barr was found to be deeply involved in the decision, no evidence of political interference was uncovered.
