Washington Post: “A war of words broke out Tuesday among former senior Justice Department officials over Pennsylvania politics and the aftermath of the 2020 election, fueled by former president Donald Trump’s release of a letter by a former appointee who is seeking Trump’s backing as he considers a run for governor. The debate about how Trump’s Justice Department did or did not pursue allegations of election fraud last year has been a divisive issue in Republican primaries, with some candidates and prospective candidates embracing Trump’s unfounded claims. In Pennsylvania, a hotly contested battleground state where Trump’s allies sought to reverse Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential victory, the latest dispute is between former attorney general Bill Barr and William McSwain, a former U.S. attorney for Philadelphia. McSwain is one of several Pennsylvania Republicans interested in running for governor in 2022 vying for Trump’s endorsement.”

“Democratic lawmakers who left Texas to block restrictive voting law plead with Congress to act In a June 9 letter to Trump made public Monday night, McSwain said his office ‘received various allegations of voter fraud and election irregularities.’ The letter seemed to blame Barr for not allowing McSwain to fully pursue and publicize them. ‘As part of my responsibilities as U.S. Attorney, I wanted to be transparent with the public and, of course, investigate fully any allegations,’ McSwain wrote. ‘Attorney General Barr, however, instructed me not to make any public statements or put out any press releases regarding possible election irregularities.’ In an interview, Barr disputed McSwain’s characterizations of his actions, and said McSwain told him he wrote the letter in a bid to win Trump’s endorsement – or at least stave off attacks. ‘Any suggestion that McSwain was told to stand down from investigating allegations of election fraud is false. It’s just false,’ Barr said, adding that the assertions ‘appeared to have been made to mollify President Trump to gain his support for McSwain’s planned run for governor.’ Barr said he called McSwain on Monday to complain about the letter, which he heard about before it became public. McSwain defended his missive as technically accurate while asserting, ‘I can’t have Trump attacking me,’ Barr said. McSwain, he added, told him that ‘he was in a tough spot because he wanted to run and he needed Trump’s at least neutrality, if not support.'”