Los Angeles’ top federal prosecutor challenged Gov. Gavin Newsom to show proof that California isn’t experiencing voter fraud.
After Newsom called President Trump’s claim of widespread voter fraud “false and misleading” ahead of the commander-in-chief’s primetime speech on election fraud, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli shot back at the governor.
“Prove it,” Essayli wrote on X. “Open your voter rolls and let us conduct the audit…What is there to hide?”
Essayli previously said he is working with Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon “to conduct a comprehensive audit of California’s voter rolls.”
A source told The California Post that a Department of Homeland Security report will reveal that at least 278,000 noncitizens are registered to vote in US federal elections.
It is the highest ever publicly reported in US history, but the source said it remains unclear how many of those registrants may have voted illegally and what the administration plans to do about it.
Trump said Thursday that China stole the voter registration data of 220 million Americans, representing a massive voter security breach.
“Over a period of years, starting during the 2020 election cycle, the People’s Republic of China carried out what is believed to be the largest compromise of election data in history, resulting in China’s illicit acquisition of 220 million U.S. voter files,” Trump said in remarks from the East Room of the White House.
“That information includes names, addresses, phone numbers, political party preferences, and other sensitive data that would be needed to register to vote and engage in other nefarious activities, which is exactly what was happening,” the president continued. “This data loss presents an unprecedented election security nightmare.
Newsom called Trump an “old man” who “rambled” about “an election he lost” after the speech.
“Democracy IS under threat,” his press office wrote. “But the danger isn’t just from abroad. It’s from within. Don’t give in to cynicism. Don’t stay silent. And above all, don’t stop voting. That’s exactly what Trump and MAGA want. You are the antidote to Trump’s madness. Accountability is coming — and the American people will deliver it.”
Investigating voter fraud in California has been a priority for the Trump administration.
Federal agents descended on the streets of Skid Row in downtown LA last month following allegations that the homeless had been paid to vote in the June 2 primary.
It marked a major escalation in the feds’ probe of voting in Los Angeles, with FBI Director Kash Patel applauding the action.
“Securing our elections is of the upmost priority for this FBI!” he wrote on X. “If you mess with our elections we will find you!”
