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Democrats
sue
Trump
admin
over
alleged
intimidation
ahead of
midterm
elections
Diane
Simpson
- White
House
Correspondent
Tell Us
USA News
Network
WASHINGTON
-
Democratic
campaign
organizations
and
congressional
leaders
have
sued
President
Donald
Trump
and
senior
administration
officials,
alleging
that
threats
against
election
workers
and
demands
to
exclude
voters
are
creating
a
climate
of
intimidation
ahead of
the Nov.
3
midterm
elections.
The
lawsuit,
filed
Tuesday,
Oct. 20,
in U.S.
District
Court
for the
District
of
Columbia,
seeks to
stop the
administration
from
pressuring
states
to
remove
registered
voters,
withhold
ballots
or
refuse
to count
votes.
Democrats
contend
officials
are
using
unreliable
citizenship
information
and
threats
of
criminal
prosecution
to
interfere
with
state-run
elections.
Defendants
include
Trump,
Attorney
General
Todd
Blanche,
Homeland
Security
Secretary
Markwayne
Mullin,
the
Justice
Department
and the
Department
of
Homeland
Security.
The
Republican
Party
itself
is not
identified
as a
defendant
in
available
accounts
of the
complaint.
Plaintiffs
include
the
Democratic
Senatorial
Campaign
Committee,
Democratic
Congressional
Campaign
Committee,
Democratic
Governors
Association
and
Nevada
State
Democratic
Party.
Senate
Democratic
leader
Chuck
Schumer,
House
Democratic
leader
Hakeem
Jeffries
and a
naturalized
U.S.
citizen
who
votes in
California
also
joined.
The
complaint
alleges
administration
officials
have
directed
a
“persistent
stream
of
threats
and
intimidation”
at state
and
local
election
officials.
Democrats
argue
those
threats
could
discourage
officials
from
assisting
eligible
voters
and
frighten
lawful
voters,
particularly
naturalized
citizens,
away
from
participating.
The suit
cites
Trump’s
warning
that
California
election
officials
could
“go to
jail for
a long
period
of time”
as
evidence
of
pressure
to
comply
with
administration
demands.
The
allegations
have not
been
established
in
court.
The
plaintiffs
invoke
Section
11(b) of
the
Voting
Rights
Act,
which
prohibits
intimidation,
threats
or
coercion
against
voters
and
people
helping
others
vote.
They
argue
the
administration’s
actions
violate
that
provision
and the
Constitution.
The
filing
follows
a
Justice
Department
lawsuit
against
California
and Los
Angeles
County
seeking
to set
aside
ballots
associated
with
approximately
20,000
people
over
allegations
they
were
noncitizens.
Democrats
say
those
demands
rely on
unverified
claims
and
federal
records
that can
incorrectly
flag
eligible
voters.
The
complaint
also
cites
Nevada,
where
federal
officials
initially
questioned
the
citizenship
of about
16,000
registered
voters
before
narrowing
their
claim to
185,
according
to
Democracy
Docket’s
account.
Nevada
officials
said
their
records
showed
all 185
were
citizens
and
federal
authorities
had
provided
“nothing
of
substance
to
suggest
otherwise.”
Democrats
argue
those
disputes
demonstrate
how
citizenship
checks
paired
with
prosecution
threats
could
exclude
lawful
voters.
The
administration’s
California
litigation
seeks to
prevent
ballots
from
being
counted
when
federal
authorities
question
voters’
citizenship.
The
plaintiffs
want a
court
order
barring
threats
against
election
officials
and
demands
that
states
exclude
voters
under
the
challenged
practices.
The case
is
separate
from a
September
lawsuit
challenging
the
potential
deployment
of armed
federal
agents
at
polling
places.
Democrats
argued
such
deployments
could
deter
participation.
The
administration
said it
had no
formal
deployment
plans
but left
open
circumstances
in which
officers
could
appear.
Both
cases
seek
court
intervention
before
Election
Day to
prevent
actions
Democrats
allege
could
discourage
lawful
voting
or
interfere
with
election
administration.
This
Tell Us
USA News
Network
report
is
produced
in part
by Ai
and can
make
mistakes.
Please
contact
and let
us know
of any
errors
you may
find.
info@tellususa.com
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