Attorney General Bill Barr told the AP on Tuesday that the Department of Justice has not uncovered evidence of widespread voting fraud that would change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
Why it matters: It's a direct repudiation of President Trump's baseless claims of a "rigged" election from one of the most loyal members of his Cabinet.
- The president's campaign and his allies have spent the past four weeks filing dozens of failed lawsuits and promoting conspiratorial allegations of widespread fraud.
- Barr's comments are sure to prompt fury from the president, who has lashed out at other Republican officials who have contradicted his baseless election claims.
What they're saying: "To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have affected a different outcome in the election," Barr told the AP.
- "There's been one assertion that would be systemic fraud and that would be the claim that machines were programmed essentially to skew the election results. And the DHS and DOJ have looked into that, and so far, we haven't seen anything to substantiate that," he added.
Between the lines: Earlier this month, Barr authorized U.S. attorneys to conduct investigations into alleged voter fraud if there are "clear and apparently-credible allegations of irregularities" that could change the outcome of a federal election in a particular state.
- He told the AP that the FBI and prosecutors continuing to follow up on specific complaints, but have not seen any evidence yet that would overturn the results of the election.
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