Four leading House Democrats are asking the Department of Justice watchdog to investigate possible election influence by Attorney General William Barr.
According to The Hill, the chairmen of four committees — Reps. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y. (Judiciary Committee), Adam Schiff, D-Calif. (Intelligence Committee), Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y. (Oversight and Reform Committee), and Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif. (Administration Committee) — wrote a letter to DOJ inspector general Michael Horowitz asking if he can open a probe.
"Attorney General Barr has signaled repeatedly that he is likely to allow DOJ to take prosecutorial actions, make public disclosures, and even issue reports before the presidential election in November. Such actions clearly appear intended to benefit President Trump politically," the letter reads.
"Few actions would prove more damaging to public confidence in the integrity of the DOJ and our democratic process than the perception that federal prosecutorial power can be used to prejudice a pending investigation or influence an upcoming election. As such, we believe it is imperative that this matter be immediately investigated, that you inform our Committees of your decision to open an investigation, and that you report the results promptly to our Committees."
Among the points they raised was the fact that Barr and U.S. Attorney for Connecticut John Durham have released information about Durham's probe that is examining the origins of the Russia investigation. The Democrats argued that releasing preliminary findings and even issuing a report within 60 days of the election could be seen as influencing the outcome of the November presidential election.
The committee chairs noted that in 2018, Barr wrote a report that said the DOJ should hold back on law enforcement and prosecutorial activities involving candidates "within 60 or 90 days of Election Day."
Senate Democrats, meanwhile, are calling on Horowitz to investigate Durham's probe and whether it "complies with Department of Justice policies, including policies that protect criminal investigations from political influence."
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