Justice Department subpoenas California election officials
Federal prosecutors have sent grand jury subpoenas to California election workers over claims of noncitizen voting, days before the midterms.
Developing story. Details may change as more information is confirmed.
The US Justice Department has issued federal grand jury subpoenas to election officials in California, stepping up its scrutiny of how the state runs elections just days before Tuesday's midterm vote. A person familiar with the matter said all four US attorney's offices in California were involved.
Copies seen by reporters show that three employees of the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder were ordered to appear before a grand jury on Nov. 4, the day after the election. Prosecutors asked for records on how the county keeps noncitizens from voting, and for communications about letters federal officials sent to the state this summer and this month. Orange County's elections office also received a subpoena seeking voter records for about 60 people.
The administration says as many as 20,000 noncitizens may be on California's voter rolls. On Wednesday, a federal judge rejected its request to set aside about 20,000 mail ballots, and on Thursday he appointed a special master to evaluate the claims. Earlier in the week, the same judge warned federal prosecutors to stop threatening election workers with criminal charges.
The Justice Department declined to comment on what it called leaks about grand jury subpoenas, but said receiving one does not mean a person is a target. Recipients can ask a court to throw the subpoenas out, which could start legal fights that run past the election. This is a developing story.
This summary is original reporting by tehworldnews, written after checking the facts against several major international news outlets and official statements.