Trump DOJ issues stark warning to California ballot counters after suing state over 20K suspected noncitizen voters
The Trump administration has fired a warning shot at California election officials, threatening possible criminal prosecution for counting ballots cast by suspected noncitizens as a bitter voting showdown escalates just weeks before Election Day.In a blistering letter sent Friday, the Justice Department warned that election workers who knowingly process ballots from people identified by federal authorities as noncitizens could find themselves facing a federal criminal investigation.The extraordinary threat came just one day after the administration slapped California with a lawsuit seeking to block the counting of mail-in ballots from roughly 20,000 suspected noncitizens.“The legal consequences for either facilitating or ignoring a federal crime are significant.Noncitizen voting in a federal election is a federal crime — and knowingly facilitating such conduct is equally unlawful,” Trent McCotter, the Justice Department’s acting deputy attorney general, wrote in the letter obtained by the Associated Press.McCotter delivered an even more ominous warning to officials responsible for tallying votes.“If persons knowingly tabulate ballots cast by individuals identified by federal agencies as noncitizens, they risk becoming aiders and abettors to a federal crime,” he wrote.The letter was directed to the Los Angeles County Counsel’s office, with copies sent to California Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan.The latest salvo comes as the Trump administration ramps up its crusade against alleged noncitizen voting ahead of the Nov.
3 election.Federal officials said they identified approximately 20,000 likely noncitizens who received mail-in ballots in California, where ballots are automatically mailed to all registered voters.The Justice Department demanded that state officials review a password-protected thumb drive containing the names within just 48 hours.When California failed to meet the deadline, the administration ...