Markwayne Mullin said DHS could withhold FEMA grant funding from states that do not cooperate with the administration’s push to “secure” elections, escalating pressure on state officials.
DHS claims it found 250,000 noncitizens registered to vote in California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Nevada, but election experts said the administration has not explained its methodology.
Mullin also cited 28,000 noncitizens on voter rolls in more than 20 states using DHS’s SAVE citizenship-check tool; one expert said that equals just 0.04% of 68 million eligible voters there.
He repeated Trump’s claims that voting machines are insecure, despite election officials and cybersecurity experts saying the machines are not internet-connected and are extensively tested before elections.
The threat comes after states refused to hand over voter-roll data containing millions of Americans’ personal information, a standoff that has already produced lawsuits the administration lost.