Barr says voting by mail is 'playing with fire'

William Barr: Election results must be trusted 1:10

(CNN) -

Attorney General William Barr, in a broad interview with CNN on Wednesday, condemned states that use vote-by-mail during the coronavirus pandemic and did not object to President Donald Trump apparently hinting that voters should cast two votes in November.

This is playing with fire.

We are a very divided country, "Barr said on CNN's" The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer "about the changes this year where states allow more mail-in voting due to the pandemic.

"People trying to change the rules to this, to this methodology, which, as a matter of logic, is very open to fraud and coercion, is reckless and dangerous and people are playing with fire," Barr added.

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These comments contradict the views of bipartisan election officials and a wide range of voting experts who say voting by mail is a safe option with protections to prevent systematic fraud.

There is no widespread fraud in US elections, even in states with a history of heavy mail-in voting, which directly contradicts Barr's claims.

Barr's comments appear to influence Trump's attempts to stoke fear and add chaos to the upcoming election.

Several states have expanded their voting-by-mail options this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the Trump campaign and the Republican Party are battling more widespread options for voters.

Earlier Wednesday, Trump suggested in North Carolina that voters vote twice, a situation that could actually lead to electoral problems.

"Well, they'll go out and vote, and they'll have to go and verify their vote by going to the ballot and voting that way, because if it's tabulated, they won't be able to do that," Trump said.

“So let them send it and let them vote, and if the system is as good as they say, then obviously they won't be able to vote.

If it is not tabulated, they will not be able to vote, so it is.

And that's what they should do.

Wolf asked Barr if Trump encourages people to commit a crime by voting twice.

"I don't know exactly what he was saying, but it seems to me that what he is saying is that he is trying to make it clear that the ability to monitor this system is not good," Barr said.

"And if it was that good, if you tried to vote a second time, you'd be caught if you voted in person."

When Blitzer declared that voting twice in this manner would be illegal, Barr said he was unaware of particular state laws.

The attorney general also retorted the conspiracy theory that foreign countries will print large numbers of forged absentee ballots and send them to voters.

Experts say this scheme would be nearly impossible to carry out and is not a serious threat to the election, although Barr's repeated promotion of this theory has given Trump more fuel to continue to question the legitimacy of the vote-by-mail.

When asked what evidence he has to support this theory, Barr said he "based it on logic."

Senior US intelligence officials tasked with protecting the 2020 elections recently said there is no evidence that foreign countries are interfering with the vote-by-mail process in this country.

Bipartisan officials across the country have expanded voting by mail this year, and public health officials are pushing it as a way to vote positively in the pandemic.

Only nine states and the District of Columbia automatically send ballots to all registered voters, which is the specific system that Trump and Barr say poses the highest risk of fraud.

China and Russia interference

Barr downplayed Russia's well-documented attempts to help Trump in the presidential election, including this election cycle, while pointing more at China.

"I accept that there is some preliminary activity that suggests they might try again," Barr said of Russia.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Russia tried something of the same genre as before."

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  Gore & # 8217;

  in his crusade against vote by mail

US intelligence officials and the Senate Intelligence Committee have made bolder claims warning of the threat Russia poses this year after it hacked Democrats in 2016 and conducted social media influence operations during the 2016 election. and 2018.

But Barr said he believed China could be more aggressive than Russia in trying to interfere in the 2020 elections.

"I think it's China," he said.

When pressed by Blitzer about his reasoning and what he has seen in China, Barr said, "because I have seen the intelligence and that is what I have concluded."

The attorney general declined to elaborate.

A month ago, US intelligence officials briefed members of Congress and presidential campaigns on how Russia is behind ongoing disinformation campaigns to hurt Democratic candidate Joe Biden, while China and Iran are in favor. to hurt Trump.

Moscow's intentions have been politically divisive even though they are well established by both the intelligence community and the Mueller investigation and Senate findings.

Both Republicans and Democrats agree that foreign governments have tried to sow discord in American democracy.

"I accept that Russia made some efforts to influence the elections" in 2016, Barr said Wednesday.

CNN's Marshall Cohen and Christina Carrega contributed to this report.

William Barr