A Justice Department report claims the first administration may have violated federal law by targeting states with Democratic governors and leaking information to friendly media outlets to influence the 2020 presidential election.
The Justice Department 's internal watchdog has released a report alleging that the first administration may have violated federal law in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election . The report claims that the administration pushed for pandemic-related investigations targeting states with Democratic governors and then leaked private information about these investigations to friendly media outlets.
This potential attempt to influence the election was motivated by the upcoming election, according to the report. The inspector general's report specifically points to a text message sent by a senior member of the department's public affairs team in mid-October 2020, describing a proposed leak to a major New York-area tabloid about reviews of nursing homes in New York and New Jersey as 'our last play on them before election' -- 'but it's a big one,' he added. The report comes weeks before Trump takes office again after winning reelection two months ago in part by promoting questionable claims that the Biden administration had used the Justice Department to further its own political agenda. Last week, the inspector general's office released a brief and vague summary of its report, saying only that three former officials had violated Justice Department policies by leaking 'non-public DOJ investigative information' to 'select reporters, days before an election.' The summary said the officials may have even violated the Hatch Act, a non-criminal law that prohibits federal employees from using their positions to engage in political activities
Election Interference Justice Department Hatch Act Leaking Information 2020 Presidential Election
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