Trump, allies pressured DOJ to back election claims, documents show
By Mychael Schnell - 06/15/21 08:21 AM EDT
Newly revealed documents obtained by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform reveal that former President Trump and his allies pressured the Department of Justice (DOJ) to back his unproven claims of election fraud in the days and weeks before the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
The documents, released publicly on Tuesday, show Trump, his then-chief of staff Mark Meadows and outside allies putting pressure on senior DOJ officials to probe claims of voter fraud in December 2020 and early January 2021.
Emails provided to the committee revealed that Trump sent allegations of election fraud to top DOJ officials minutes before he announced their promotions, which were sparked by the resignation of then-Attorney General Bill Barr.
Approximately 40 minutes before Trump tweeted that Barr would be stepping down and that then-Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and then-Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue would be promoted, his White House assistant sent Rosen an email with the subject “From POTUS,” which contained materials alleging voter fraud in Antrim County, Mich. The email also included “talking points” that claimed “a Cover-up is Happening regarding the voting machines in Michigan” and “Michigan cannot certify for Biden.”
Trump then sent the same documents to Donoghue, according to the committee.
more
https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/558436-trump-allies-pressured-doj-to-back-election-claims
