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, Trump criticized 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 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. This move is part of an amped-up effort by Trump 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 2020 election’s legitimacy has been extensively scrutinized, with courts around the country and a Trump attorney general from his first term finding 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”.
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.
The Justice Department has appointed special counsels to lead investigations into politically sensitive matters, including conduct by Biden and Trump. Jack Smith, the special counsel assigned to investigate Trump’s efforts to undo the 2020 presidential election and his retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, was successfully challenged by Trump’s personal lawyers.
A Trump-appointed judge ruled that then-Attorney General Merrick Garland had exceeded his bounds by appointing a prosecutor without Senate approval and confirmation, and dismissed the case.
It’s unclear what Trump has in mind when he calls for a special prosecutor, but if Attorney General Pam Bondi heeds his call, she may face pressure to appoint someone who has already been confirmed by the Senate. The Justice Department declined to comment on the matter.