Washington, D.C. – Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) issued the following statement after Attorney General William Barr authorized federal prosecutors to examine allegations of voting irregularities, despite no evidence of widespread fraud existing:

"Attorney General Barr’s memo is both flawed and deeply disturbing.  It is unlikely to open new legal avenues for the Trump campaign, but speaks to Barr’s dangerous and irresponsible impulse to pander to the President’s worst instincts.  The Department of Justice cannot open an investigation into election fraud or any other crime without a proper basis in evidence.  As the memo appears to concede, there is no evidence whatsoever of widespread voter fraud. 

"The Attorney General may think that he is merely humoring a President who will eventually concede the race and transfer power to his successor.  This approach is as short-sighted as it is cynical and destructive.  To be clear, Barr cannot change the outcome of the election—but in aiding President Trump in spreading lies about election officials, and in seeding doubts about the legitimacy of the election without a shred of evidence to back up their claims, Barr and the President’s other enablers threaten real harm to our country.  The peaceful transition of power has been the bedrock of our system of government since its founding.  Every move to undermine that transition cuts against the character of our country.

"I am heartened by the Republican officials, men and women of good conscience, who have stepped forward in recent days to demand that President Trump begin the transition to President-Elect Biden.  I now ask that my Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives do the same.  One way or the other, Donald Trump will be out of office in a matter of weeks.  History will remember their conduct between now and then."