Former President Donald Trump has reiterated his unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election, which was won by Democrat Joe Biden, and is now calling for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the election.
“Biden was grossly incompetent, and the 2020 election was a total FRAUD!” Trump exclaimed in a social media post. He also used the post to favorably compare his immigration policies to those of his successor.
“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 demand, arriving amidst a significant foreign policy crisis regarding potential US involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, underscores his ongoing efforts to delegitimize Biden’s presidency.
Earlier in the month, Trump instructed his administration to investigate President Biden’s actions, alleging that his aides concealed the president’s “cognitive decline.”
President Biden has dismissed the investigation as “a mere distraction.”
The post also revisits Trump’s persistent grievance about the election being stolen, despite repeated rulings by courts nationwide, including those overseen by his own Attorney General, that found no evidence of widespread fraud that could have changed the election outcome.
The Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity division previously declared the 2020 election “the most secure in American history.”
The specifics of Trump’s request for a special prosecutor remain unclear. Should Attorney General Pam Bondi act upon his call, she might face pressure to appoint someone already confirmed by the Senate.
A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment on Friday.
In recent years, the Justice Department has appointed several special counsels, often but not always from outside the agency, to oversee investigations into politically sensitive matters, including those involving both Biden and Trump.
Last year, Trump’s personal lawyers mounted a vigorous and ultimately successful challenge to the appointment of Jack Smith, the special counsel tasked with investigating his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
A judge appointed by Trump sided with the legal team, ruling that then-Attorney General Merrick Garland had overstepped his authority by appointing a prosecutor without Senate approval and confirmation, which led to the dismissal of the case.
That legal team included Todd Blanche, currently deputy attorney general, and Emil Bove, Blanche’s top deputy who has recently been nominated for a federal appeals court judgeship.
