Trump Goon Sends Ominous Threat to Election Officials
A DOJ official is threatening fines and jail time for those who do not comply.
President Donald Trump’s goons at the Justice Department have fired off an ominous threat to local election officials just days before the midterm election.
Multiple state election offices received identical letters from acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter dated Oct. 29, threatening jail time or fines if they do not fulfill their duty to protect the integrity of the election, a Votebeat report has revealed.
The letters reportedly center on a federal statute requiring local election officials to retain and preserve all records related to a federal election for 22 months after election day.
The letters from a top Department of Justice official were dated Oct. 29, according to copies obtained by Votebeat.
DOJ/Votebeat
“Election Day is fast approaching, and I write to ensure that your office is protecting the integrity of your state’s elections and following federal recordkeeping requirements,” McCotter began, before citing examples of “exceptionally close races” in recent U.S. history.
“To protect the franchise and maintain public confidence in our democratic process, Congress requires election officials to retain election records,” he said. “I am writing to remind you of that obligation.”
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McCotter reminded local election officials of a federal statute mandating the preservation of all election records such as completed voter registration forms, pollbooks and precinct sign-in sheets, and the ballot itself.
The letters were signed by acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter.
Kevin Lamarque/REUTERS
“It is a crime to willfully fail to comply with Section 20701,” the DOJ official said. “Such a failure is punishable by up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. It is also unlawful to willfully steal, destroy, conceal, mutilate, or alter these records under Section 20702.”
He concluded, “Thank you for your commitment to ensuring election integrity.”
The DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The letters are the latest in a series of warnings the DOJ has sent to local election officials.
In July, Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for Civil Rights, reminded officials they will be prosecuted if they knowingly allow noncitizens to vote. In September, Eric Neff, another official in the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, said the failure to preserve records amid ongoing litigation is punishable by civil or criminal penalties.
The October mailings were sent out just days after a federal judge in California gave the Trump administration a pointed warning about its correspondence to local election officials.
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