Department of Justice plans to emphasize election matters, with Trump's election directive prioritized, according to a memo.
Title: Justice Department Shifts Focus Under Trump Administration: Voting Rights Unit Diverts from Traditional Enforcement to Investigate Voter Fraud
In a drastic change, the Justice Department unit responsible for ensuring compliance with voting rights laws changed its mission during the Trump administration. According to an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press, this unit will now focus on investigating voter fraud and ensuring elections are not marred by "suspicion."
The new mission statement for the voting section briefly acknowledges the Historic Voting Rights Act, but it omits its typical role of protecting people's right to cast ballots and preventing discriminatory practices in legislative maps. Instead, the unit is redefined around conspiracy theories, echoing baseless claims pushed by Donald Trump to explain his loss in the 2020 presidential election.
Trump's attorney general at the time, William Barr, stated there was no evidence of widespread fraud in that election. Repeated recounts, audits, and court cases led by Republicans in battleground states affirmed Biden's win and found the election was run properly. However, the Trump administration persisted in its efforts to reverse the election results.
Now, in Trump's second term, the attorney general is Pam Bondi, who backed his effort to overturn the 2020 loss. Trump appointed Harmeet Dhillon, a Republican Party lawyer and long-time ally who also echoed some false claims about voting, to run the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, where the voting unit is housed.
Stacey Young, an 18-year Department of Justice veteran who left the division days after Trump's inauguration, expressed concerns. "The division's job is not to promote the politically expedient fiction that voting fraud is widespread," said Young, who founded Justice Connection, an organization supporting the agency's employees.
The department did not respond to a request for comment.
Trump has already demonstrated his interest in using the Justice Department to pursue those who stood up for the 2020 election integrity. This shift in focus could indicate a renewed focus on investigating voter fraud, in contrast to the traditional role of protecting Americans' access to the polls and ensuring that their votes matter.
The executive order signed late last month calls for several changes, including requiring documented proof of U.S. citizenship each time citizens register to vote, requiring all mail ballots to be received by Election Day (counter to the law in 18 states), and directing an independent federal agency to amend voting machine guidelines. Legal analysts argue that much of the order is unconstitutional, as the president has no authority to set election procedures.
Interestingly, the voting unit's mission statement mentions fighting "fraud" and investigating other forms of malfeasance. Although the DOJ already investigates and prosecutes voting fraud, the voting section's traditional role is a civil unit that does not investigate potential crimes. It is unclear how this shift will affect the unit's focus.
Justin Levitt, who served as President Joe Biden's senior policy adviser for democracy and voting rights, noted the limitations of the civil section of the Civil Rights Division. For the unit to effectively enforce new policies, courts need to approve its actions. Given the lack of evidence supporting widespread voter fraud, the division's success hinges on persuading courts to buy its arguments.
- Under the Trump administration, the Justice Department's voting rights unit changed its focus, now primarily investigating voter fraud and preventing elections from being tarnished by 'suspicion.'
- The new mission statement briefly acknowledges the Historic Voting Rights Act, but it significantly minimizes its traditional role of protecting voting rights and preventing discriminatory practices.
- Trump's appointee, Attorney General Pam Bondi, is a supporter of Trump's attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election loss.
- Harmeet Dhillon, a Republican Party lawyer and ally of Trump, was appointed to run the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, which houses the voting unit.
- Stacey Young, an 18-year Department of Justice veteran and founder of Justice Connection, expressed concerns about the division's new focus on promoting the narrative of widespread voter fraud.
- The shift in focus towards investigating voter fraud could indicate a renewed emphasis, contrasting the traditional role of protecting American access to the polls and ensuring the validity of their votes.
