Despite repeated court rulings and hefty defamation settlements verifying the integrity of the 2020 presidential election, former President Donald Trump’s Justice Department is pressing ahead with an investigation into conspiracy theories alleging Venezuelan interference.
The Department of Justice, under Donald Trump’s leadership, has launched an active probe into unfounded allegations that Venezuela manipulated the outcome of the 2020 presidential race. The investigation centers on a debunked conspiracy theory claiming that Venezuela, through technology companies such as Smartmatic and Dominion, influenced U.S. electronic voting, an assertion both Delaware courts and bipartisan experts have declared false.
Key proponents of the theory, including individuals like Gary Berntsen and Martin Rodil, have supplied documents and purported witnesses to federal officials, hoping to substantiate their claims. The DOJ task force in Tampa, traditionally focused on Venezuelan drug trafficking and money laundering, has also reportedly interviewed several supporters of this narrative.
Trump has long refused to concede the 2020 election, continually asserting it was “rigged” in Joe Biden’s favor, despite numerous court dismissals and official confirmations by election security agencies attesting to the election’s legitimacy. Both right-leaning media outlets and voting machine companies have resolved extensive legal battles over these accusations, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in defamation payouts following court determinations that the theories were baseless.
The DOJ’s renewed focus on these claims coincides with heightened White House scrutiny of Venezuela, which officials now accuse of benefiting from criminal enterprises targeting the United States. The revived election fraud allegations are fueling speculation that the administration may seek to justify more aggressive foreign policy actions against the Venezuelan government, further escalating tensions in the region.
Election experts, the Department of Homeland Security, and other authorities continue to affirm that there is no evidence supporting claims of widespread fraud or foreign manipulation in the 2020 election, calling these new investigations a political move with no factual basis.
