Folks, I almost spilled my coffee reading this one. The Department of Homeland Security is planning a surge in its efforts to investigate voter fraud in select states starting Tuesday, according to internal federal guidance reviewed by CNN. I mean, I’ve seen some wild things in my time, but this one takes the cake. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has accelerated efforts to make the department a central force in President Donald Trump’s hunt for purported widespread election fraud. Because, you know, that’s exactly what we need – more government agencies poking around in our business.
Now, I’m not saying that voter fraud isn’t a real issue, but come on, folks. The experts say there’s no evidence that widespread voter fraud has occurred in recent elections. And yet, DHS is pushing states to share their voter rolls for audit and has vowed to withhold grant funding from those that refuse to adopt a broader set of election reforms. That sounds like a whole lot of bureaucratic red tape to me.
The department has leaned on one of its agencies — Homeland Security Investigations — to tackle this “major crime” of voter fraud. I mean, bless their hearts, these agents are usually busy dealing with human trafficking, drug smuggling, and child exploitation. But no, now they’re chasing down voter histories of people believed to be noncitizens who may have illegally voted or registered to vote. You can’t make this stuff up, folks.
Starting Tuesday, HSI is launching a “coordinated criminal voter fraud surge initiative to pursue investigative leads, conduct field interviews, and support timely prosecutorial review.” Oh boy, that sounds like a real mouthful. And get this – offices in nine states are expected to take investigative action from early September to mid-October. Those states include Washington, Wisconsin, Missouri, Georgia, California, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New York, and Connecticut. Somewhere in Atlanta, a producer thought this sounded terrifying, I’m sure.
The guidance’s reference to investigative steps is notable given the push comes as midterm elections get underway. Such “overt” investigatory actions while elections were approaching have historically been discouraged, under long-standing Justice Department policy limiting investigative actions could influence elections. But hey, who needs policies when you’ve got a mission to root out all that pesky voter fraud?
The DOJ formally rescinded the policy under the first Trump administration but still mostly abided by it, and it was reinstated under President Joe Biden. But DHS, as a separate department, is not obligated to follow the policy, and the new guidance makes no reference to those timing concerns. Because, you know, who needs consistency in government?
Under the Trump administration, agents have been assigned to investigate whether naturalized US citizens registered or voted before becoming citizens. Another memo directed HSI agents to coordinate with US Citizenship and Immigration Services to begin removal proceedings when a noncitizen is suspected of or linked to voter fraud. Despite the dramatic shift of resources toward investigating election fraud, the administration has brought only a handful of prosecutions — mostly targeting cases of noncitizens voting or being unlawfully registered to vote.
Still, the administration has touted alleged election fraud arrests. Last week, the Justice Department announced that a Honduran national who was legally living in the United States had been arrested and charged with fraudulently registering to vote and falsely claiming to be a US citizen. “Today’s arrest is the first of many to come,” First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement. I’m sure we’ll be hearing about many more of these “major” arrests in the coming weeks.
Mullin, meanwhile, has positioned himself as a leading enforcer of Trump’s voter-fraud crackdown. Earlier this summer, his department announced an audit of public voter rolls had identified more than 250,000 registered noncitizens in just four states: California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Nevada. “One thing that I love about numbers, and I love about facts, is they don’t lie,” Mullin told reporters at the time, warning that election officials who fail to secure the midterms could face fines or even jail time. Yeah, because that’s exactly what we need – more threats from our government officials.
But the numbers have, thus far, proved far less definitive than DHS initially suggested. The department publicly claimed it had found nearly 16,000 noncitizens on Nevada’s voter rolls. But behind closed doors, the department acknowledged to the state’s top election officials that it had “confirmed” just 185 of them, according to internal records reviewed by CNN. Another 6,200 were labeled “higher confidence matches” — but still required further vetting. Yeah, that sounds like a whole lot of nothing to me.
In conclusion, folks, it seems like the Department of Homeland Security is on a wild goose chase to root out voter fraud. With their “coordinated criminal voter fraud surge initiative” and threats of fines and jail time, it’s a wonder anyone can keep a straight face. And with the midterm elections just around the corner, I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot more about this “crisis” in the coming weeks. So grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the show – it’s going to be a long and entertaining ride. And who knows, maybe they’ll even find some actual voter fraud along the way – but I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you.
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
