This pardon is undeserved, unprincipled, and one more stain on President Trump’s rapidly diminishing legacy.

Michael Flynn was fired from the White house for lying to senior officials. He pleaded guilty—twice—to lying to federal investigators about his communications with a foreign adversary. Flynn’s agreement to cooperate with the government in exchange for those guilty pleas seemed light to some, given reports that Flynn and his son had engaged in far more disturbing crimi...nal activity.

It is imperative that the Departments and agencies are permitted to begin briefing the transition team on a variety of issues—including, but not limited to, matters related to ongoing foreign and domestic terrorism investigations; the backlog of immigration enforcement actions due to the pandemic and the zero tolerance policy; the spread of COVID-19 throughout the federal penitentiary system; and various ongoing criminal and civil investigations (such as investigations regard...ing the technology industry). It is also critical that the FBI, which is responsible for conducting background checks, be immediately freed up to assist the transition. It is no understatement to assert that further delays in performing your statutory duty of ascertainment will have a dangerous, if not life threatening, impact on the ability of the Biden Administration to respond to terrorist threats, reunite families separated at the border, limit the spread of COVID-19, and safeguard competition and consumer welfare, among other concerns.

Attorney General Barr’s memo is both flawed and deeply disturbing. It is unlikely to open new legal avenues for the Trump campaign, but speaks to Barr’s dangerous and irresponsible impulse to pander to the President’s worst instincts. The Department of Justice cannot open an investigation into election fraud or any other crime without a proper basis in evidence. As the memo appears to concede, there is no evidence whatsoever of widespread voter fraud.

The Attorney General... may think that he is merely humoring a President who will eventually concede the race and transfer power to his successor. This approach is as short-sighted as it is cynical and destructive. To be clear, Barr cannot change the outcome of the election—but in aiding President Trump in spreading lies about election officials, and in seeding doubts about the legitimacy of the election without a shred of evidence to back up their claims, Barr and the President’s other enablers threaten real harm to our country. The peaceful transition of power has been the bedrock of our system of government since its founding. Every move to undermine that transition cuts against the character of our country.