A conservative legal group says the Biden Justice Department may be politicizing the hiring process for its Voting Rights Section to further the president’s Democratic agenda.
America First Legal (AFL) says its concerns over the “apparent weaponization” of the Voting Rights Section stem from the department’s lawsuit over Georgia’s new election laws filed in June, just two weeks after the DOJ said it planned to double the staff of the section.
The nonprofit filed a Freedom of Information Act request this week for a trove of records related to the suit and recruiting plan, which it says “will likely reveal a partisan bias in hiring.”
“Because Biden Administration officials have repeatedly shown a willingness to use the tools of government to further their political ends, AFL filed a FOIA to shed light on those actions and personnel within the Voting Section,” the group said.
AFL is seeking information from the start of Mr. Biden’s presidency in January to the present, including records related to expanding the Voting Rights Section (VRS) staff. It also wants records “sufficient to identify every person” at the agency who was involved in the research and authorization of filing the Georgia lawsuit, including any emails with the White House.
The group says “it is critical to educate the American public regarding the affiliations, backgrounds, and qualifications of the individuals who may be using the machinery of law enforcement to chill lawful state efforts aimed at ensuring fair, lawful, and transparent elections.”
It is also asking for all communication records from February 2016 to the present between VRS attorneys and 27 legal and political entities, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP and the League of Women Voters.
The 11-page request was submitted Monday and AFL says it wants the documents by Sept. 11. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent Tuesday.
Matthew Whitaker, an AFL board member and former acting U.S. attorney general, says the group “will not stand by idly and watch the Department of Justice engage in any partisan attempts to interfere with the good faith efforts of states across the country to enact commonsense election integrity measures.”
The DOJ’s lawsuit against Georgia argues state lawmakers rushed to pass the law despite knowing certain provisions are discriminatory, including increasing photo ID requirements and limiting use of ballot drop boxes.
The suit was filed shortly after Attorney General Merrick B. Garland vowed to expand the department’s efforts to protect voting rights, including hiring more VRS staff. His announcement came as Republican-majority state legislatures have been considering a variety of voter regulations.
The Georgia legislature’s Republican majority touted the new election law as a way to reduce voter fraud, but the Justice Department said the effect will be to prevent eligible residents from voting.
Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp accused the Biden administration of “weaponizing” the Justice Department to carry out a “far-left agenda.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki pushed back, saying it was Mr. Kemp who was “afraid” to expand voting access.
“If you have such a fear of making it easier and more accessible for people to vote, then I would ask what you are so afraid of?” she told reporters at the White House.
President Biden has stressed the independence of the Justice Department, but Ms. Psaki noted that the action was consistent with the president’s priorities.
“It was a decision made by the Justice Department to move forward, but it’s clearly a priority of the president to take action wherever we can to make it more accessible to vote,” she said.
• Emily Zantow can be reached at ezantow@washingtontimes.com.
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