Attorney General William Barr’s memo authorizing prosecutors to investigate voter-fraud claims immediately drew criticism from the legal community, stoking concerns that Barr is moving to prop up President Donald Trump’s unsupported claims of widespread election irregularities.

The memo made public Monday prompted the career Justice Department official who oversees election fraud investigations, Richard Pilger, to step down. Pilger, in his own memo to colleagues obtained by the New York Times, said he made the decision “having familiarized myself with the new policy and its ramifications.”