Poli Alert Politics & Civics
Related Articles
President Donald Trump is increasing pressure on the Justice Department to reopen investigations into the 2020 election, prompting new concerns among current and former officials about political interference and the erosion of public confidence in U.S. elections.
In recent weeks, Trump has urged senior administration officials to examine ballots and voting equipment from states he lost five years ago, including Georgia, Colorado and Missouri. He has also pushed for access to state voter rolls and hired a White House lawyer who previously worked on efforts to contest the 2020 results.
The demands have divided officials inside the administration. Some want to focus on verifying current voter rolls and preventing future irregularities, while others say rehashing 2020 risks politicizing federal law enforcement and undermining state control over elections.
“Everything they’re doing now is a relitigation of 2020,” said Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat. “They’re trying to discredit the entire electoral system in the United States of America so that Donald Trump can finally say, ‘You see, the system was corrupt. My lies were actually the truth.’”
Trump has never accepted his defeat by Joe Biden and continues to insist, without evidence, that widespread fraud cost him the presidency. Courts and multiple audits rejected those claims years ago.
Trump’s Renewed Demands
In a Truth Social post on Oct. 26, Trump wrote that he hopes the Justice Department pursues what he called “the biggest scandal in American history.” He added, “If not, it will happen again, including the upcoming midterms.”
The administration’s new Justice Department leadership has followed his lead, sending letters to state officials seeking permission to review old mail ballots and inspect voting machines. The department has also requested access to full voter lists, which some states have refused to provide, citing privacy and legal concerns.
Harmeet Dhillon, the department’s civil rights chief, wrote in an Oct. 30 letter to Georgia officials that her office was reviewing “compliance with federal election laws” and sought to inspect mail ballots from Fulton County.
Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts said he was baffled by the renewed scrutiny. “Audit after audit, review after review — where does it end?” he said.
Legal and Institutional Concerns
Election experts say Trump’s directives risk compromising the Justice Department’s independence and violating long-standing boundaries between federal and state election authority.
“This appears more like a fishing expedition than a targeted investigation,” said David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research.
While the Constitution gives states primary authority over elections, federal oversight is permitted only in limited circumstances such as civil-rights violations. Several legal scholars warn that revisiting certified results years later could amount to improper political interference.
A Justice Department spokesperson said the agency “remains committed to ensuring that elections are free, fair and transparent.”
Broader Implications
Critics say the continued focus on 2020 threatens to undermine faith in future elections and blur the lines between political goals and law enforcement. Civil rights groups warn that the administration’s approach could chill voter confidence and invite partisan manipulation of the Justice Department’s investigative powers.
“The risk is that every election dispute becomes a criminal probe,” said University of California law professor Rick Hasen. “That’s not how democracy sustains itself.”
The episode echoes past moments when Trump sought to use federal agencies to bolster unproven election claims. Notes from a December 2020 phone call show Trump told then-acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue, “Just say the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the Republican congressmen.”
What’s Next
The Justice Department has asked several states to preserve remaining 2020 voting materials and is expected to renew its request to review ballots in Georgia later this month. Fulton County Judge Robert McBurney has scheduled a Nov. 24 hearing to determine whether federal officials can access sealed ballot records.
Congressional oversight committees are also preparing hearings to examine the department’s expanding role in election investigations. Lawmakers in both parties have raised questions about whether Trump’s pressure campaign could erode confidence in federal law enforcement — and the democratic process itself.
