🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
Heidi Stirrup, a White House liaison at the U.S. Department of Justice, is reportedly prohibited from entering the federal agency while working as Donald Trump's primary messenger between the two federal branches.
According to an Associated Press report, published Thursday afternoon, Stirrup is accused of breaching conduct protocols related to the Justice Department's ongoing inquiries into election fraud claims and other investigations. The Trump aide allegedly solicited information about the department's ongoing investigations from staff members privy to details of those legal pursuits.
The AP report, which credited a group of sources who asked to remain anonymous due to the subject's classified nature, noted that leading Justice Department officials barred Stirrup from returning to the building after becoming aware of her conduct. This reportedly occurred within the past two weeks, as Trump's campaign has continued to further unsubstantiated claims that voter fraud was behind his election loss to President-elect Joe Biden.
News of the Justice Department's response to Stirrup's alleged actions came two days after Attorney General William Barr announced that federal investigations into Trump's claims found no evidence that fraud contributed to the election's outcome. Barr, a longstanding Trump ally, faced widespread criticism earlier this year over what many observed to be an arguably unconstitutional relationship between himself and the sitting president.
On Tuesday, Barr said the FBI and U.S. attorneys were involved in inquiries to evaluate the Trump campaign's voter fraud allegations in comments to the AP.
"To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election," he told the news agency.
Trump responded to Barr's assertion on Thursday. Speaking to reporters at the White House, he suggested that the Justice Department chief had not evaluated his campaign's claims thoroughly, and again insisted that "massive fraud" occurred during last month's election.
"Well, he hasn't done anything...he hasn't looked," Trump said, responding to a question about Barr's Tuesday comments.
"They haven't looked very hard," he continued, seemingly in reference to all federal personnel involved in the investigations. "Which is a disappointment, to be honest with you, because it's massive fraud."
Trump's campaign has initiated dozens of lawsuits over the last five weeks, targeting counties across the U.S. where Biden earned a majority of popular votes. Despite most legal actions meeting swift dismissals in court, the campaign has continued to challenge states' results with new lawsuits one month after Election Day.
Newsweek reached out to the Justice Department comment, but did not receive a reply in time for publication. The White House had no comment.
Updated 4:35 p.m. ET, to include additional background information.
