A Department of Homeland Security whistleblower has alleged that hundreds of agents have been directed to attempt to access state voter rolls, even if they must "misrepresent themselves" and "fabricate" evidence of voter fraud ahead of the midterm elections, according to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and California Sen. Alex Padilla.
The Democratic lawmakers detailed these claims in a letter sent Sunday to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, demanding that the department explain and cease the alleged actions. The whistleblower's claims suggest that agents are being commanded to violate state laws to access private voter information and create law enforcement records as part of what is described as DHS's "Unlawful Voter Initiative."
"Apparently, agents are being commanded to violate state laws to access private voter information and fabricate law enforcement records as part of DHS's quote ‘Unlawful Voter Initiative,’" Schumer said at a press conference Monday. "The goal: to try and prove Trump's sad, tired, and long-debunked election conspiracy theories."
Schumer added that agents have allegedly been "hunting for, or worse, manufacturing evidence of voter fraud claims." He also stated that agents have reportedly been told to proceed with the initiative and promised they would not be held personally liable if they raised questions about its legality. "That says a lot," Padilla commented.
The Department of Homeland Security acknowledged efforts to find voter fraud. In a statement to ABC News, DHS said, "The Department accessed publicly available data from states’ voter rolls and cross referenced them with known aliens in our systems. It’s not rocket science; it’s an easy step to secure our elections.”
However, DHS also stated, “While ICE Homeland Security Investigations is not able to comment on any active investigations, HSI is actively rooting out and investigating election fraud wherever it can be found. We have repeatedly demonstrated that aliens can and do vote in our elections. Under President Trump, HSI is committed to restoring integrity to our election systems and ensuring that American citizens and only American citizens are electing American leaders.”
Padilla further alleged that the federal government is pursuing this route because some states have not complied with demands for voter records. He suggested the "Unlawful Voter Initiative" is a "pretext" for the Trump administration to use "manufactured evidence to intimidate voters, to disenfranchise eligible Americans, and even undermine or challenge this November's election results."
"Americans should not have to fear being targeted by their own government because of how they're registered to vote,” Schumer said.