U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing-in ceremony for the interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 28, 2025. REUTERS/Leah Millis

A former red state chief election official who once alleged that the CIA rigged the 2020 presidential race is now playing a central role in the Justice Department’s (DOJ) controversial investigation into that same election — a move that critics say deepens fears of political retribution within federal agencies.

Democracy Docket reported Thursday that Andrew McCoy “Mac” Warner, who served as West Virginia’s Republican secretary of state until earlier this year, has emerged as a senior attorney in DOJ’s Civil Rights Division.

“His work appears to be part of a dangerous cross-government unit aimed at exacting retribution against President Donald Trump’s perceived enemies,” the report noted.

According to the report, Warner is involved in the “Interagency Weaponization Working Group,” a secretive unit created to carry out President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting alleged “weaponization” of the federal government.

Since joining the department, Warner has reportedly taken steps to advance voting restrictions and investigate false claims surrounding 2020 — including demanding access to voting machines used that year.

The report highlighted a memo from the Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities said Warner contacted local officials to “physically inspect and perhaps take physical custody” of Dominion machines, but the requests were denied.

Association president Sherry Parks said such access “would be illegal under state law.”

Warner has continued to push for stricter voting rules in his federal roles, per the report.

At a May 2025 meeting of the Election Assistance Commission’s Board of Advisors, he urged adoption of Trump’s order requiring “documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote.”

Warner’s past as West Virginia’s top election official was marked by efforts to restrict voter access and promote election conspiracy theories.

During a 2023 debate, he claimed, “The CIA interfered in the 2020 election and stole it from President Trump.”