U.S. Attorney General William Barr succumbed to pressure from President Donald Trump and some Republican leaders alleging voting fraud in the 3 November US election, by ordering a probe.

In a letter to federal prosecutors on Monday, he authorized them to pursue investigations into “substantial allegations of voting and vote tabulation irregularities,” while urging them not to chase “fanciful or far-fetched” claims.

The letter to prosecutors, which was seen by Reuters, marked the first time Barr addressed President Donald Trump’s repeated and unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud since last week’s election won by Democrat Joe Biden.

It came several hours after Barr met with Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who earlier on Monday said Trump was well within his rights to look into charges of “irregularities” in last week’s election.

“I authorize you to pursue substantial allegations of voting and vote tabulation irregularities prior to the certification of elections in your jurisdictions in certain cases, as I have already done in specific instances,” Barr wrote in the letter to federal prosecutors and the FBI.

President Trump and his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani have repeatedly made broad allegations of voter fraud in a number of states, but have not provided evidence for their claims.

Source: GhanaFeed.Com

President-elect Joe Biden is prepared to issue a series of executive orders after taking office that would reverse some of President Trump’s most noteworthy policies, including his controversial “Muslim ban,” his crackdown on DREAMers, and his withdrawals from the Paris climate accords and the World Health Organization, people familiar with his plans told The Washington Post.

Biden’s advisers have spent “months quietly working on how best to implement his agenda, with hundreds of transition officials preparing to get to work inside various federal agencies,” the Post writes. “They have assembled a book filled with his campaign commitments to help guide their early decisions.” In another display of how stark a contrast Biden plans to draw with Trump, the president-elect reportedly plans to announce a robust, 12-member coronavirus task force as soon as Monday.

While Biden’s sweeping erasure of his predecessor’s efforts in office would be remarkable, the president-elect will likely have few other options for implementing major policies, since the looming possibility of a Republican-controlled Senate would present an obstacle for his administration to pass substantial legislation. “In the old days, the mandate meant that the other side would be more amenable, or feeling they had an impetus to work,” Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr., Jr. (D-Pa.) explained to the Post. “I’m not sure that applies any longer.”

Source: WashingtonPost.Com

China, along with Russia and Mexico, is holding off on sending a message of congratulations to Joe Biden, saying the outcome of the vote is yet to be determined.

China says it has taken note of Joe Biden’s declaration of victory in the US presidential election but is holding off on sending any message of congratulations.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Monday the result of the election would be determined under US laws and procedures, and Beijing would follow international practices in extending its sentiments.

“I noticed that Mr Biden has declared victory of the election,” Wang told reporters at a daily briefing. “We understand that the presidential election result will be determined following US laws and procedures.”

China is one of only a small number of high-profile nations, including Russia and Mexico, that have yet to issue statements on the election, in which Democrat Biden emerged the winner over Republican incumbent Trump after days of ballot counting. Trump has yet to concede and is challenging counting in several districts.

Source: Aljazeera.Com