Trump Threatens California Officials With Prison Over Mail Ballots: "They Will All Go to Jail"

The Trump administration on Friday escalated its high-stakes fight with California over mail-in ballots, warning state and local election officials they could face criminal prosecution if they count ballots from more than 20,000 voters the federal government claims are probably noncitizens.

In a letter released Friday, acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter told Los Angeles County officials and California's top election officers that knowingly counting such ballots could make them liable as aiders and abettors of a federal crime. "Noncitizen voting in a federal election is a federal crime — and knowingly facilitating such conduct is equally unlawful," McCotter wrote.

President Donald Trump amplified the warning on Truth Social, sharing the Justice Department letter with the message: "They will all go to jail for a long period of time!!!"

The letter was addressed to the Los Angeles County Counsel's office and copied to California Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder Dean Logan — effectively putting the state's entire election apparatus on notice.

McCotter warned that if officials "knowingly tabulate ballots cast by individuals identified by federal agencies as noncitizens, they risk becoming aiders and abettors to a federal crime." Any federal criminal cases in the Los Angeles area would be handled by the office of U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, one of the officials who filed Thursday's lawsuit against the state.

The threat is the latest step in a fast-moving confrontation:

• Tuesday: The Justice Department handed California a password-protected thumb drive containing a list of more than 20,000 names it says are likely noncitizens who were sent mail-in ballots, giving officials 48 hours to review it.
• Thursday: The Justice Department sued California, seeking to block the state from counting the disputed mail ballots.
• Friday: The department warned officials they personally risk criminal investigation and prosecution.

The midterm elections are on November 3 — just 18 days away — and California mails ballots to all registered voters.

Weber's office pointed to an earlier statement accusing the Justice Department of trying to "unlawfully gain access to states' protected voter data and purge voter rolls," saying such moves "serve only to cause chaos and fuel public distrust in our elections." The administration has provided no public evidence that the listed voters are noncitizens, the secretary of state's office has said.

Registrar-Recorder Dean Logan said his office remains focused on running a fair and secure election: "The U.S. Department of Justice has chosen to litigate their unverified assertions of voting eligibility. At this point, it is best for this to be addressed in court."

The Thursday lawsuit is already before the courts, and Friday's letter raises the stakes further — turning a civil dispute over voter rolls into a direct threat of criminal liability against individual election officials. With less than three weeks until Election Day, both the ballot fight and the prosecution threat appear headed for an immediate court test.

Sources

• Associated Press
• Reuters