Trump Threatens California Election Officials With Jail. Could It Happen?
Summary
President Donald Trump has warned California election officials they could face long jail terms if they count ballots from voters identified as possible noncitizens. The Justice Department has also warned officials about potential criminal charges, but legal experts say proving crimes would require much more evidence.Key Facts
- President Trump threatened jail time for California election officials counting ballots from possible noncitizen voters.
- The Justice Department sent a letter warning officials they could be criminally liable if they "knowingly tabulate" such ballots.
- The dispute involves more than 20,000 likely noncitizens who received California mail-in ballots.
- The Justice Department sued California to stop counting these ballots until citizenship is verified.
- Legal experts say prosecution would require proving officials knowingly helped illegal voting.
- Prosecutors must prove officials intended to commit a crime, not just that they processed ballots as part of their job.
- Two federal laws are cited: one banning noncitizen voting and one about aiding and abetting crimes.
- Experts say simply counting ballots from disputed voters does not mean election officials committed a crime.
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