Top House Democrat says president’s suggestion for Republicans to ‘take over’ elections really means ‘steal it’
Democrats will stop Donald Trump from trying to steal this year’s midterm elections, Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader in the US House of Representatives said on Sunday.
Jeffries’ comments come amid widespread concern after Trump said Republicans should “take over the voting”. The US constitution gives states the power to set election rules and says Congress can pass laws to set requirements for federal elections. The constitution gives the president no authority over how elections are run.
“What Donald Trump wants to do is try and nationalize the election – translation: steal it. And we’re not going to let it happen,” Jeffries said during an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union. He added that Democrats so far had successfully blocked Trump’s efforts to federalize the national guard countered a nationwide push by Republicans to redraw congressional district boundaries to their advantage.
Last week, Trump called on Republicans to “take over the election in at least fifteen spots” and “nationalize” the ballot box. Trump is accusing specific Democratic cities of corruption, such as Detroit, Philadelphia and Atlanta.
“Trump is already trying to cast doubt on the states’ ability to organize elections and count votes fairly,” says Elaine Kamarck. She was involved in campaigns by Democratic presidential candidates and is now affiliated with the Brookings Institute, a think tank.
Under the constitution, the states are responsible for organizing elections and counting the votes. “When the constitution was drafted, the states were very powerful,” explains Kamarck. “They didn’t want a strong central government. That is still a key feature of the U.S. state system.”
White House spokesman Karoline Leavitt nuanced Trump’s statements. According to her, the president wants Congress to set new rules. Parliament has the power to do so.
Trump later reiterated that the federal government must intervene in what he calls “serious corruption.” “If a state can’t organize elections, then the people who stand behind me have to do something about that,” he said.
In March, Trump tried to impose rules through a presidential decree states. Federal judges then ruled that only Congress, and not the president, is competent to establish nationwide election rules.
The president still states without evidence that the 2020 election has not been fair. Last week, the FBI seized ballots and electoral rolls from that period in Fulton County, in the state of Georgia. Trump then spoke by phone with agents involved in the action. This was done via the telephone of Tulsi Gabbard, who, as director of national intelligence (DNI), directs all national intelligence services.
The fact that the DNI is present in a police action is highly unusual. Gabbard writes in a letter to Congress that Trump personally ordered her.
“It’s unheard of, the Trump administration has nothing to do there,” says Elaine Kamarck. “I expect the president will try to show that there was something wrong with the ballots.”
From Dutch state News NOS