Latest news with #2020Election
Al Jazeera
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Trump calls for special prosecutor to investigate 2020 election
Trump revives longstanding grievance as the White House is consumed by a foreign policy decision on whether to get directly involved in the Israel-Iran war. US President Donald Trump has called for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the 2020 election won by Democrat Joe Biden, repeating his baseless claim that the contest was marred by widespread fraud. In a post on Truth Social, the president criticised Biden on immigration issues and said he lost the 2020 presidential election by a 'LANDSLIDE'. 'Biden was grossly incompetent, and the 2020 election was a total FRAUD!' Trump said. 'The evidence is MASSIVE and OVERWHELMING. A Special Prosecutor must be appointed. This cannot be allowed to happen again in the United States of America! Let the work begin!' Trump's revival of his longstanding grievance, which comes as his White House is consumed by a hugely substantial foreign policy decision on whether to get directly involved in the Israel-Iran war, is part of an amped-up effort by him to undermine the legitimacy of Biden's presidency. Earlier this month, Trump directed his administration to investigate Biden's actions as president, alleging aides masked his predecessor's 'cognitive decline.' Biden has dismissed the investigation as 'a mere distraction'. The post also revives Trump's claim that the election was stolen, even though courts around the country and a Trump attorney general from his first term found no evidence of fraud that could have affected the outcome. The Department of Homeland Security's cybersecurity arm pronounced the election 'the most secure in American history'. And in 2022, the House of Representatives January 6 committee's final report asserts that Trump criminally engaged in a 'multi-part conspiracy' to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 presidential election and failed to act to stop his supporters from attacking the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Advertisement Trump's repeated, false claims of widespread voter fraud resonated with his supporters, the committee said, and were amplified on social media, building on the distrust of government he had fostered during his four years in office. Sign up for Al Jazeera Americas Coverage Newsletter US politics, Canada's multiculturalism, South America's geopolitical rise—we bring you the stories that matter. Subscribe Your subscription failed. Please try again. Please check your email to confirm your subscription By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy protected by reCAPTCHA It was unclear what Trump had in mind when he called for a special prosecutor, but in the event Attorney General Pam Bondi heeds his call, she may face pressure to appoint someone who has already been confirmed by the Senate. A Department of Justice spokesperson declined to comment Friday. The Justice Department, in recent years, has appointed a succession of special counsels – sometimes, though not always, plucked from outside the agency – to lead investigations into politically sensitive matters, including conduct by Biden and Trump. Last year, Trump's personal lawyers launched an aggressive, and successful, challenge to the appointment of Jack Smith, the special counsel assigned to investigate his efforts to undo the 2020 presidential election and his retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. A Trump-appointed judge agreed, ruling that then-Attorney General Merrick Garland had exceeded his bounds by appointing a prosecutor without Senate approval and confirmation, and dismissed the case. That legal team included Todd Blanche, who is now deputy attorney general, as well as Emil Bove, who is Blanche's top deputy but was recently nominated to serve as a judge on a federal appeals court.
Globe and Mail
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Trump calls for special prosecutor to probe false 2020 election claims
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday called for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the 2020 election won by Democrat Joe Biden, repeating his baseless claim that the contest was marred by widespread fraud. 'Biden was grossly incompetent, and the 2020 election was a total FRAUD!' Trump said in a social media post in which he also sought to favourably contrast his immigration enforcement approach with that of the former president. 'The evidence is MASSIVE and OVERWHELMING. A Special Prosecutor must be appointed. This cannot be allowed to happen again in the United States of America! Let the work begin!' Trump's post, made as his Republican White House is consumed by a hugely substantial foreign policy decision on whether to get directly involved in the Israel-Iran war, is part of an amped-up effort by him to undermine the legitimacy of Biden's presidency. Earlier this month, Trump directed his administration to investigate Biden's actions as president, alleging aides masked his predecessor's 'cognitive decline.' Biden has dismissed the investigation as 'a mere distraction.' Trump orders investigation into Biden's actions as president and use of autopen The post also revives a long-running grievance by Trump that the election was stolen even though courts around the country and a Trump attorney-general from his first term found no evidence of fraud that could have affected the outcome. The Department of Homeland Security's cybersecurity arm pronounced the election 'the most secure in American history.' It was unclear what Trump had in mind when he called for a special prosecutor, but in the event Attorney-General Pam Bondi heeds his call, she may face pressure to appoint someone who has already been confirmed by the Senate. A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment Friday. The Justice Department in recent years has appointed a succession of special counsels – sometimes, though not always, plucked from outside the agency – to lead investigations into politically sensitive matters, including into conduct by Biden and by Trump. Last year, Trump's personal lawyers launched an aggressive, and successful, challenge to the appointment of Jack Smith, the special counsel assigned to investigate his efforts to undo the 2020 presidential election and his retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. A Trump-appointed judge agreed, ruling that then-Attorney General Merrick Garland had exceeded his bounds by appointing a prosecutor without Senate approval and confirmation, and dismissed the case. That legal team included Todd Blanche, who is now deputy attorney-general, as well as Emil Bove, who is Blanche's top deputy but was recently nominated to serve as a judge on a federal appeals court.
The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Trump calls for special prosecutor to probe his 2020 loss to ‘crooked' Joe Biden: ‘LANDSLIDE!'
Donald Trump is calling for a special prosecutor to investigate his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden, reviving an ongoing and baseless conspiracy theory that the results of the election were rigged and stolen from him. More than five years after losing in that year's election, and after returning to the presidency a second time with his victory in 2024, the president has routinely pressed attempts to undermine the legitimacy of Biden's presidency. 'Biden was grossly incompetent, and the 2020 election was a total FRAUD!' Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Friday. He claimed 'the evidence is MASSIVE and OVERWHELMING,' despite White House officials and campaign lawyers failing to produce any within the last five years. 'A Special Prosecutor must be appointed,' Trump wrote. 'This cannot be allowed to happen again in the United States of America! Let the work begin!' The persistent lie that the election was stolen from the president fueled violence at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, sustained partisan investigations intended to reverse the outcomes in states Trump lost, inspired Republican-led legislation in nearly every state to change how elections are run, and formed the basis of his 2024 campaign of 'retribution.' His post — in the middle of his administration's tense negotiations and foreign policy decision making over whether to intervene in a war with Iran — continues efforts within his administration to target his predecessor and revives long-standing grievances that have played a central role in his speeches and remarks for years, well into his second presidency. Earlier this month, Trump directed his administration to investigate Biden's actions as president, alleging aides masked his predecessor's 'cognitive decline.' Trump's false and inflated claims about election results, spanning more than a decade, have also sowed doubt among his supporters to construct the lie of 'stolen' and 'rigged' elections, animating Republican attempts to challenge results and craft legislation to do what the president and his allies failed to do in courtrooms in 2020.
BreakingNews.ie
a day ago
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Trump calls for special prosecutor to investigate 2020 election
President Donald Trump has called for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the 2020 election won by Democrat Joe Biden, repeating his baseless claim that the contest was marred by widespread fraud. 'Biden was grossly incompetent, and the 2020 election was a total FRAUD!' Mr Trump said in a social media post in which he also sought to favourably contrast his immigration enforcement approach with that of the former president. Advertisement 'The evidence is MASSIVE and OVERWHELMING. A Special Prosecutor must be appointed. This cannot be allowed to happen again in the United States of America! Let the work begin!' Donald Trump has also instructed his administration to investigate Joe Biden's actions as president, alleging aides masked his 'cognitive decline' (David J Phillip/AP) Mr Trump's post, made as his Republican White House is consumed by a hugely substantial foreign policy decision on whether to get directly involved in the Israel-Iran war, is part of an amped-up effort by him to undermine the legitimacy of Mr Biden's presidency. Earlier this month, Mr Trump directed his administration to investigate Mr Biden's actions as president, alleging aides masked his predecessor's 'cognitive decline'. Mr Biden has dismissed the investigation as 'a mere distraction'. Advertisement The post also revives a long-running grievance by Mr Trump that the election was stolen even though courts around the country and a Trump attorney general from his first term found no evidence of fraud that could have affected the outcome. The Department of Homeland Security's cybersecurity arm pronounced the election 'the most secure in American history'. President Donald Trump (Alex Brandon/AP) It was unclear what Mr Trump had in mind when he called for a special prosecutor, but in the event Attorney General Pam Bondi heeds his call, she may face pressure to appoint someone who has already been confirmed by the Senate. A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment on Friday. Advertisement The Justice Department has appointed a succession of special counsels in recent years — sometimes, though not always, plucked from outside the agency — to lead investigations into politically sensitive matters, including into conduct by Mr Biden and by Mr Trump. Last year, Mr Trump's personal lawyers launched an aggressive, and successful, challenge to the appointment of Jack Smith, the special counsel assigned to investigate his efforts to undo the 2020 presidential election and his retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. A Trump-appointed judge agreed, ruling that then-Attorney General Merrick Garland had exceeded his bounds by appointing a prosecutor without Senate approval and confirmation, and dismissed the case. That legal team included Todd Blanche, who is now deputy attorney general, as well as Emil Bove, who is Mr Blanche's top deputy but was recently nominated to serve as a judge on a federal appeals court. Advertisement
Washington Post
a day ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Trump calls for special prosecutor to investigate 2020 election, reviving longstanding grievance
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday called for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the 2020 election won by Democrat Joe Biden, repeating his baseless claim that the contest was marred by widespread fraud. 'Biden was grossly incompetent, and the 2020 election was a total FRAUD!' Trump said in a social media post in which he also sought to favorably contrast his immigration enforcement approach with that of the former president. 'The evidence is MASSIVE and OVERWHELMING. A Special Prosecutor must be appointed. This cannot be allowed to happen again in the United States of America! Let the work begin!'
