Official report or announcement from the U.S. Office of Special Counsel

DOJ Officials Under Trump May Have Leaked Covid-19 Nursing Home Death Data to Influence 2020 Election in New York and New Jersey

Jan 7, 2025, 10:09 PM

Senior officials in the Department of Justice (DOJ) under Donald Trump's first administration may have leaked private information to media outlets in an attempt to influence the 2020 presidential election, according to a report by the DOJ's internal watchdog, led by Inspector General Michael Horowitz. The report, obtained by ABC News, indicates that three former officials violated the DOJ's media contacts policy by leaking non-public investigative information to select reporters days before the election. The leaks involved details of investigations into Covid-19 deaths at nursing homes in New York and New Jersey. A senior official from the DOJ's Office of Public Affairs proposed leaking this information to the New York Post and the Wall Street Journal in October 2020, describing it as 'our last play on them before [the] election.' The report suggests that the timing and manner of these actions, directed by the Civil Rights Division and believed to be sanctioned by Attorney General Bill Barr, may have been influenced by the upcoming election, raising questions about partisan political motivations. The findings have been referred to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel for review of potential Hatch Act violations.