Cuccinelli: ‘Hands are tied’ on voter fraud case

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has not been shy about using the resources of his office and taxpayer dollars to tilt at windmills like climate change and abortion regulations.

But Cuccinelli is holding back from involving his office in expanding the investigation into alleged voter fraud perpetrated by a Republican group that has already led to one arrest in Harrisonburg.

“My office does not have the authority to investigate election matters unless explicitly requested to do so by the State Board of Elections, a local commonwealth’s attorney, or a local electoral board member.  No such request has been made to date; and, therefore, by law, I do not have the authority to undertake the investigation you have suggested.  My hands are tied in this matter,” Cuccinelli wrote in a letter to Democratic State Sen. Donald McEachin, who had written to Cuccinelli to request that he expand the investigation beyond its current parameters.

Cuccinelli did say in his response to McEachin that he “would be happy to support a legislative effort by you in the next General Assembly session to provide investigative authority to the Office of the Attorney General in relation to vote tampering and voter fraud.”

“As you know, then – and only then – would my office be able to fulfill your request to investigate such matters without a formal request from the State Board of Elections,” Cuccinelli said.