While the findings are dated, they come as many current and former Justice Department officials fear that the incoming Trump administration will run the department with an eye toward score-settling.
Three senior Trump administration officials violated Justice Department rules just before the 2020 election by divulging details of an investigation into coronavirus deaths at nursing homes in New York and other Democratic-run states, according to an inspector general document obtained by The New York Times.
The inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, released a summary of the report last month, concluding that the three officials, who remained unnamed, had disregarded the department’s confidentiality and media policy “by leaking to select reporters, days before an election, non-public” details of an open investigation.
The summary did not disclose what investigation was at issue, but a longer report, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, shows that the review centered on inquiries to state officials in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan concerning their policies toward coronavirus patients at nursing homes.
While the findings are dated, they come as many current and former Justice Department officials fear that Donald J. Trump’s incoming administration will run the department with an eye toward settling scores with those who investigated and prosecuted him, pursuing inquiries into those he considers enemies.
According to the report, on Oct. 17, 2020, a senior Justice Department official in the press office texted that the release of the information “will be our last play on them before election, but it’s a big one.”
The name of the official is redacted. Justice Department officials ultimately sent letters to New York and New Jersey officials demanding data, and told The New York Post about the requests, the inspector general concluded. The New York Post published an article about the letters on Oct. 27.