Morning Read: Cuccinelli Says “Hands Tied,” Can't Launch Probe Into Voter Fraud

Virginia Attorney Ken Cuccinelli said in a letter Monday that his “hands are tied” and he cannot launch an investigation into the alleged destruction of voter registration forms in connection with the state Republican Party.

In his letter to state Senator Donald McEachin—who had been publicly pushing for the AG to investigate the fraud—Cuccinelli wrote that he could not legally investigate the case.

“As a state lawmaker who serves on the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee and as someone who ran for attorney general, you undoubtedly know that 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 (see Virginia Code 24.2-104). 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.

ICYMI: A Pennsylvania man was arrested and charged last week with destroying voter registration forms in Virginia. The man was employed by Pinpoint, a company that had been hired to register voters for the Republican Party of Virginia.

At this point, it is still unclear whether or not this is an isolated incident.

A call to Virginia's Board of Elections was not immediately returned. Stay with NBCWashington.com for more.

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