November 13th, 2020 by WCBC Radio

Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on Friday led a coalition of 23 attorneys general asking U.S. Attorney General William Barr to rescind a controversial recent memo on voter fraud.

Under long-standing Department of Justice policy, prosecutors did not pursue voter fraud cases until after elections have been certified by states so as to avoid affecting the outcome or creating a perception of intrusion.

On Nov. 9, days after President Donald Trump's defeat by former Vice President Joe Biden, Barr issued a directive allowing federal prosecutors to pursue “substantial allegations” of voting irregularities, if they exist, before the 2020 presidential election is certified, despite no evidence of widespread fraud.

Barr wrote that investigations “may be conducted 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.”

He said any allegations that would “clearly not impact the outcome of a federal election” should be delayed until after those elections are certified and prosecutors should likely open so-called preliminary inquiries, which would allow investigators and prosecutors to see if there is evidence that would allow them to take further investigative measures.

Barr does not identify any specific instances of purported fraud in the memo.