Memorandum
- From
- Connor Quincy via New York Post
- Date
- Filed
- Politics·2 min to read
- Re
Trump Justice Department Subpoenas Los Angeles Election Officials Over Voter Rolls
ReTrump Justice Department Subpoenas Los Angeles Election Officials Over Voter Rolls
The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into California voter rolls and sent grand jury subpoenas to local election officials just days before the elections.
The U.S. Department of Justice under the administration of Donald Trump has opened a criminal investigation into California voter rolls and sent grand jury subpoenas to local election officials. The federal government is demanding explanations regarding more than 20,000 allegedly non-citizens who, according to its data, may have been included on the state's voter lists.
According to NBC News, the new subpoenas appeared after a federal judge on Wednesday rejected the Trump administration's request to separate 20,000 mail-in ballots associated with alleged non-citizens from other ballots in California. The court ruling was a defeat for the federal government, which had sought to achieve this before Election Day.
The expansion of the investigation is also reported by The New York Times. At least two employees of the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder's office received grand jury subpoenas last week. The newspaper describes these steps as pressure on California from the administration on the eve of the midterm elections.
The investigation is taking place against the backdrop of an ongoing dispute between the federal government and the state over control of voter data and procedures for verifying voters' citizenship. Local election officials have not yet made public comments on the specific allegations, and federal authorities have not released the evidence cited in their demands.
The elections will take place in a few days, so the investigation and subpoenas may affect the work of election commissions in the final days before voting. The further development of the case will depend on how local officials respond and whether the federal government's demands are considered in the courts.
4
