Emails Show Trump Pressed DOJ to Back Election Fraud Claims

The Trump White House urged Department of Justice officials to challenge the 2020 election results based on unproven claims of fraud, according to emails released Tuesday by the House Oversight and Reform Committee. In one case, former President Donald Trump’s assistant emailed fraud claims to then-Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen less than an hour before Trump tweeted that Rosen would replace then-Attorney General William Barr, who had publicly stated that there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud. In another case, then-acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue wrote “Pure insanity” in response to a fraud theory sent by Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows.

Right-rated outlets were less likely to cover this story as of Tuesday afternoon; left- and center-rated outlets tended to feature it prominently on homepages. Some coverage in left-rated outlets called Trump’s fraud claims “outlandish” and cited the “pure insanity” quote in headlines.