WASHINGTON (AP) — Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Friday warned that state officials could lose funding or face investigations if they fail to go along with President Donald Trump’s election security demands, part of the Republican president’s longstanding attempt to undermine Americans’ confidence in the vote.Experts said the threats — issued just months before midterm elections that will determine control of Congress — were likely hollow because Trump’s voting initiatives have been stalled by judges and the Constitution gives states control over how elections are run. Nevertheless, Mullin’s remarks, delivered from the White House complex one day after Trump’s primetime address on the topic, could further doubts about election processes and create headaches for states as they prepare for November. “We absolutely can build confidence in the American people, but the states have to do their part,” Mullin said.
AP AUDIO: Mullin pushes states to comply with election demands, echoing Trump’s claims about midterm risks
AP correspondent Ed Donahue reports a member of President Trump’s cabinet says he is ready to go after voter fraud.
Trump continues to falsely claim that Democrat Joe Biden won only because of fraud in 2020, and he’s tried to marshal the powers of the federal government to rewrite that history since he returned to office last year — even though judges and his own attorney general in his first term concluded the election was legitimate. Mullin insisted that the president was not relitigating the 2020 election, “although he definitely could at this point.”“This is just about exposing what took place and making sure it never happens again,” he said.
