Barr says no sign of major U.S. vote fraud as Trump keeps up struggling legal fight

[webfact 78,969]

Barr says no sign of major U.S. vote fraud as Trump keeps up struggling legal fight

By Jarrett Renshaw and Sarah N. Lynch

 

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden points to Wally Adeyemo, Biden's nominee to be deputy treasury secretary, as he announces nominees and appointees to serve on his economic policy team at his transition headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., December 1, 2020. REUTERS/Leah Millis

 

WILMINGTON, Del./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General William Barr said on Tuesday the Justice Department had found no evidence of widespread voter fraud in last month's election, even as President Donald Trump kept up his flailing legal efforts to reverse his electoral defeat.

 

"To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have affected a different outcome in the election," Barr, a Trump appointee widely seen as loyal to the Republican president, told the Associated Press.

 

Barr told federal prosecutors last month to pursue investigations into credible allegations of election fraud, but warned them to avoid probes into "fanciful or far-fetched claims."

 

Democrat Joe Biden defeated Trump in the Nov. 3 election by a wide margin of 306 to 232 votes in the state-by-state Electoral College that chooses the president, as well as by more than 6.2 million ballots in the popular vote.

 

Despite that, Trump has continued to claim loudly and without evidence that the election was marred by widespread fraud. Those claims that have been repeatedly rejected by state and federal officials.

 

The Trump campaign's legal team responded to Barr's comments by saying the Justice Department did not do enough to investigate allegations of voter fraud.

 

The Trump campaign asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday to determine if 221,000 absentee ballots that allegedly lacked information should be excluded from the vote totals. Biden won the state by about 20,000 votes.

 

CORONAVIRUS AID

Biden, the president-elect, urged the U.S. Congress on Tuesday to pass a coronavirus aid economic package that has been stalled for months, and promised more action to reactivate the economy after he takes office.

 

At its peak over the summer, expanded federal unemployment benefits funneled some $12 billion weekly into individual bank accounts, money that propped up spending, padded savings and fueled rehiring.

 

But those benefits are expiring by the end of this year, prompting calls for a more extended safety net while a coronavirus vaccine is rolled out.

 

"Right now, the full Congress should come together and pass a robust package for relief to address these urgent needs," Biden said as he presented his incoming administration's economic team.

 

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday unveiled a $908 billion COVID-19 relief bill aimed at breaking the long deadlock between Democrats and Republicans over new emergency assistance for small businesses, unemployed people, airlines and other industries hit hard by the pandemic.

 

Biden said any such package passed by Congress before he takes over on Jan. 20 would be "at best just a start."

 

"My transition team is already working on what I'll put forward in the next Congress to address the multiple crises we're facing, especially our economic and COVID crises," Biden said at the event in Wilmington, Delaware.

 

He was speaking alongside his selections for senior economic roles, including his nominee for U.S. Treasury secretary, former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, who said the pandemic and economic damage it caused in the United States was "an American tragedy."

 

The economic team's makeup reinforces Biden's view that a more aggressive approach to the economic recovery from the pandemic is required. The advisers have all expressed support for government stimulus to maximize employment, reduce economic inequality and help women and minorities, who have been disproportionately hurt by the downturn.

 

The United States is in the grip of a fresh wave of COVID-19 infections, with more than 4 million new cases and over 35,000 coronavirus-related deaths reported in November, according to a Reuters tally of official data.

 

The virus is likely to disrupt production at factories. Manufacturing output is still about 5% below its pre-pandemic level, according to the Fed.

 

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Tuesday that the number of coronavirus deaths in the United States had risen to 267,302.

 

(Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw in Wilmington, Delaware, and Sarah N. Lynch in Washington; in Princeton, New Jersey; Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu, David Morgan and Jonnelle Marte in Washington and Joseph Ax in Princeton, New Jersey; Writing by Alistair Bell; Editing by Soyoung Kim and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-12-02

 

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[PatOngo 44,595]

Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive!

Donald please, you're a one term loser! Don't worry, you'll find plenty of other ways to deceive people!

 

 

Edited December 1, 2020 by PatOngo

[Thailand 18,636]

Oops, Trump dead in the water!

[Somtamnication 23,571]

Finally, DOJ speaks up. Took 3 years!

[Berkshire 16,475]

Lordy, AG Barr coming clean and telling the truth.  This is not going to sit well with Dear Leader.  Will Barr go the way of Mr. Krebs and by Twitter?  Wonder who Trump will put in his place?  Rudy??  I'm not kidding!!

[Jeffr2 8,117]

Some people are such suckers.  They'll fall for anything. 

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/12/01/politics/president-donald-trump-raises-more-than-170-million-since-election-day/index.html

President Donald Trump raises more than $170 million since Election Day as he pushes baseless fraud claims

The Save America political action committee, which the President launched less than a week after Election Day, could fund his post-White House political life -- underwriting travel, staff and other functions, even if Trump never seeks public office again.

[Lacessit 22,856]

One of Trump's closest allies in his perversion of democracy has seen the writing on the wall, and don't think he was not trying for something different.

Perhaps trying to get out from under before the roof caves in?

[OneMoreFarang 26,612]

Maybe Barr finally realized that he wants a life after Trump.

I hope he will be prosecuted for working like a private lawyer for Trump and not in the interest of the USA.

[Jeffr2 8,117]

14 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Maybe Barr finally realized that he wants a life after Trump.

I hope he will be prosecuted for working like a private lawyer for Trump and not in the interest of the USA.

That's the big debate right now.  Whether to go after Trump and his enablers for their misdeeds or not.  Some say don't stir things up, others say it's necessary to prevent this from happening again.  But for sure, Barr was one of the worst.

[PatOngo 44,595]

1 hour ago, Thailand said:

Oops, Trump dead in the water!

Since the 3rd of November!

[nauseus 16,188]

Strange timing for a strange comment, after no apparent DOJ investigations into the matter, plus the multiple law suits and state legislature committee hearings going on.

 

[placeholder 7,301]

17 minutes ago, nauseus said:

Strange timing for a strange comment, after no apparent DOJ investigations into the matter, plus the multiple law suits and state legislature committee hearings going on.

 

Not easy to lose so many lawsuits in such a short amount of time.

Edited December 2, 2020 by placeholder

[mtls2005 15,604]

On the plus side barr did officially appoint durham as a Special Counsel. 

 

So there's that.

 

Lap dogs gonna lap.

 

And the DoJ is said to be investigating a Presidential pardon bribery scheme...

 

Justice Department investigating potential presidential pardon bribery scheme, court records reveal

 

(CNN)The Justice Department is investigating a potential crime related to funneling money to the White House or related political committee in exchange for a presidential pardon, according to court records unsealed Tuesday in federal court.

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/12/01/politics/presidential-pardon-justice-department/index.html

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/12/01/politics/doj-pardon-investigation-court-filing/index.html

 

 

 

Sheesh, he's gonna have to give out pardons for the people who tried to sell pardons. So much winning.

 

 

Edited December 2, 2020 by mtls2005

[tonray 13,416]

I'll take the job as new AG for a month and a half as long as Trump gives me a pre-emptive pardon for things I might have to do to protect him...

[worgeordie 44,541]

Wow ! even Barr is quickly moving away from Trump,

that should let Trump know the jig is up.....well maybe not.

regards Worgeordie