California leaders rebuke Trump administration’s push over alleged noncitizen voting

State attorney general said Trump’s justice department’s directive to verify 20,000 ballots is completely improper

California’s attorney general on Saturday rebuked the Trump administration’s efforts to quash alleged noncitizen voting, calling it “politicizing and weaponizing the law”.

Rob Bonta, the state’s attorney general, said the justice department acted at Donald Trump’s direction.

“It is once again the United States Department of Justice politicizing and weaponizing the law to attack its enemies, and it is completely improper,” he told MS Now.

Less than two weeks before the midterms, federal prosecutors called upon California election officials to verify within 48 hours a list of about 20,000 ballots belonging to suspected noncitizens. Noncitizen voting is extremely rare , but in the run-up to the midterm elections, the justice department has ramped up prosecutions of people accused of illegally voting while not holding US citizenship.

California’s election personnel have raised concern that the administration’s directive could disenfranchise citizens. Los Angeles officials said this week a “high percentage” of the individuals on the list were born in the United States.

“Trump’s DOJ is so desperate to invent ‘widespread voter fraud,’ it sent California counties lists of people who NEVER voted – and voters from the WRONG COUNTY. Absolute clown show!” California’s governor Gavin Newsom posted on social media .

“Voter intimidation has no place in our democracy,” Pete Aguilar, a congressman representing south-west San Bernardino county, said in a social media post .

The federal government’s oversight attempts come amid a national Republican effort to crack down on alleged voter fraud, particularly any cases among undocumented immigrants.

“We are asking each county election official to commit to working with us by providing the necessary information for DHS to quickly verify citizenship status. With their help, we can ensure the most secure election in California history,” the justice department said.

Bonta, the California attorney general, has raised questions about the evidence behind the suspected noncitizen ballots.

“All they provided was a list of people and nothing about why they’re purportedly ineligible. If they have such information, we would be happy to review it, but they’ve provided none,” Bonta said at a recent press conference.

The DoJ also charged 28 foreign nationals recently, accusing them of fraudulently registering to vote.

“Today’s arrests prove what we have been saying,” Bill Essayli, first assistant US attorney, said in a statement. “California is mailing ballots to noncitizens, and they are refusing to comply with federal law, which makes it a crime for noncitizens to vote. The voting rights of American citizens must be protected.”

The defendants are lawful permanent residents, who have legal status in the US but are not citizens authorized to vote.

Some state officials took no action on Friday’s letters, citing the fast-approaching election, which spurred a legal battle with the justice department. An appeals court is set to hear the matter on Tuesday.