California leader calls attack on alleged non-citizen voting ‘weaponizing the law’ | California

California’s attorney general on Saturday rebuked the Trump administration’s efforts to overturn alleged non-citizen voting, calling it “politicization and weaponization of the law.”

Rob Bonta, the state’s attorney general, said the Justice Department acted at the direction of Donald Trump.

“Once again, the United States Department of Justice is politicizing and weaponizing the law to attack its enemies, and it is completely inappropriate,” he told MS Now.

Less than two weeks before the midterm elections, federal prosecutors asked California election officials to verify within 48 hours a list of about 20,000 ballots belonging to suspected noncitizens. Non-citizen voting is extremely rare, but as the midterm elections approach, the Justice Department has stepped up prosecutions of people accused of voting illegally despite not holding U.S. citizenship.

California election officials expressed concern that the administration’s directive could disenfranchise citizens. Los Angeles officials said this week that a “high percentage” of people on the list were born in the United States.

“Trump’s DOJ is so desperate to invent ‘widespread voter fraud’ that it sent California counties lists of people who NEVER voted – and voters from the WRONG COUNTY. Absolute clown show!” California Governor Gavin Newsom posted this message on social media.

“Voter intimidation has no place in our democracy,” Pete Aguilar, a congressman representing southwest San Bernardino County, said in a social media post.

The federal government’s surveillance attempts come amid a national Republican effort to crack down on allegations of voter fraud, particularly cases among undocumented immigrants.

“We are asking every county election official to commit to working with us in providing the necessary information to DHS to quickly verify their citizenship status. With their help, we can ensure the most secure election in California history,” the Justice Department said.

Bonta, the California attorney general, raised questions about the evidence behind alleged non-citizen votes.

“All they have provided is a list of people and nothing about why they are allegedly ineligible. If they have such information, we would be happy to review it, but they have not provided any,” Bonta said at a recent news conference.

The DoJ also recently indicted 28 foreign nationals, accusing them of fraudulently registering to vote.

“Today’s arrests prove our point,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement. “California is sending ballots to non-citizens and refusing to comply with federal law, which makes it a crime for non-citizens to vote. The right to vote of American citizens must be protected.”

The defendants are legal permanent residents, who have legal status in the United States but are not eligible citizens to vote.

Some state officials took no action on Friday’s letters, citing the approach of the election that sparked a legal battle with the Justice Department. An appeals court is scheduled to hear the case Tuesday.