Donald Trump’s most senior government lawyer has admitted Joe Biden won the presidential election fair and square. US Attorney General Bill Barr said Tuesday: ‘To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have affected a different outcome in the election.’
Barr told the Associated Press that government lawyers and FBI agents have been following up specific complaints about alleged electoral fraud, but have yet to find solid evidence to back up those claims.
Barr’s comment is likely to enrage Trump, who continues to insist he won this year’s election, but has not given any concrete proof to back-up his claims. The Attorney General was personally appointed by Trump, and has previously been one of the president’s most vociferous defenders.
Team Trump has since issued a statement on Tuesday’s remarks, saying there hadn’t been ‘any semblance’ of a government investigation into their claims, and insisting they have evidence to back their allegations up.
Barr directed prosecutors across the country to begin investigating claims of voter fraud in the wake of the November 3 election, with Biden called as winner four days later.
The directive proved controversial as it flew in the face of US Justice Department policy prohibiting such investigations before an election is formally certified.
All states whose results were disputed by Team Trump have since officially named Joe Biden as winner, with the President-elect set to be voted in by the US Electoral College later this month.
The attorney general had previously echoed a claim by Trump during this year’s election campaign that mail-in votes were more vulnerable to fraud.
Millions of American voters switched from going to the polling station to mailing their ballots amid safety concerns amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Trump’s legal team, led by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, have alleged electoral fraud in swing states Biden won, including Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
They have alleged that supporters were barred from watching votes being counted, and have also claimed voting machines made by manufacturer Dominion were rigged to boost Biden’s ballot numbers.
But Giuliani and his colleagues have yet to provide crucial evidence to back-up their claims, with Trump’s fellow Republicans, including Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, among those calling their respective states’ results fair.
Trump himself has hinted he may concede the result – but only if Biden can prove the 80 million votes that won him the election were cast fairly.
Biden will be inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States on January 20. Unconfirmed reports claim President Trump will avoid the ceremony and instead launch his 2024 re-election campaign.
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