As Indiana state police continue their investigation into alleged voter fraud in the state, one county prosecutor is saying widespread talk of voter fraud is “without merit.”
Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry, a Democrat, told the Indianapolis Star in a statement that accusations of voter fraud “are premature” as state cops are still investigating. Curry specifically called on investigators to stop discussing the investigation until it is finished.
“Confidentiality is important to allow investigators to continue their work independently and to avoid material prejudice in the matter,” Curry said in his statement, according to the AP.
State Police Superintendent Doug Carter had been vocal about charges of voter fraud and had appeared on local TV saying, “There’s voter fraud and voter forgery in every state of America.”
Curry said in his statement he was worried that investigators were making statements about the alleged voter fraud case before the evidence was actually in and encouraged the state police to stop speaking publicly about the investigation until they have finished their work.
Indiana State Police raided a voter registration office in the state earlier this month and confiscated computers, cell phones and other records there as they said they were looking into potential allegations of voter registration fraud by the Indiana Voter Registration Project. The group focused on registering African-American voters. The raid was considered unusual by voting rights experts TPM talked to at the time.
Curry seemed concerned about how vocal state police have been about their investigation with just weeks to go until the election. Such discussion could have a chilling affect on voters.
“If evidence of suspected criminal activity in Marion County is presented to our office, we will review that information for potential criminal charges,” Curry said. “Accusations of fraud or other intentional acts prior to the conclusion of a thorough review by law enforcement and a prosecutor are premature and contrary to the foundational principle of presumed innocence until and unless proven guilty.”