Trump Threatens Jail for California Officials Over Voter List

The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against California after sending a USB drive with 20,000 names flagged as possible noncitizens. Officials were given 48 hours to check those names against state rolls.

President Trump posted on his social platform that any election worker who counts those ballots could face a long prison term. He shared the DOJ letter that warns of serious penalties for ignoring the rule.

Governor Newsom called the move a political stunt aimed at suppressing voters weeks before the election. He said the courts have ruled the federal government cannot dictate how a state runs its elections.

A voting rights group from UCLA has sued the Justice Department and Homeland Security, arguing the list was built illegally. The group threatens to seek a court order to stop any purge of voters.

Earlier this year Trump claimed that California and three other states together had 250,000 noncitizens on their rolls, a figure his critics dispute.