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Three DOJ employees leaked information to damage Trump before election

A report from the DOJ Office of Inspector General (OIG) revealed the investigation and was referred to the Office of Special Counsel to determine whether the actions violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits partisan activities while performing public duties.

La Cámara declara en desacato a Garland por negarse a dar los audios de la entrevista de Biden con el fiscal especial Hur

Attorney General Merrick GarlandAFP

A report released by the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Inspector General (OIG) revealed that three former high-ranking officials leaked confidential information to the press for the purpose of damaging Donald Trump's campaign.

The report said it found, "misconduct by three then senior DOJ officials for violating the Department's Confidentiality and Media Contacts Policy, and by one of these senior officials for violating the Department's Social Media Policy (...) The OIG's investigation found that three then Senior DOJ Officials violated the DOJ's Confidentiality and Media Contacts Policy by leaking to select reporters."

Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi

The investigation was launched after there were allegations that certain DOJ employees were politically motivated, violating the department's confidentiality rules. According to the report, officials leaked data on ongoing investigations to selected media outlets, resulting in the publication of articles that included unauthorized inside information just prior to the election.

Although the report does not detail what information was released, some references to related investigations allegedly attempt to link Trump to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Senator Chuck Grassley said that the leaks may have included classified data. Grassley accused both institutions of using selective disclosure strategies to influence public perception ahead of the 2024 presidential election, calling it an act of election interference.

The report has been sent to the Office of Special Counsel to determine whether the actions violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits partisan activities in the performance of public duties:

The OIG also provided its report to the Office of Special Counsel, which has exclusive jurisdiction to investigate alleged Hatch Act violations, for its consideration of whether the conduct of these officials violated the Hatch Act.

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