Sen. Mark Warner is sounding the warning across America: Trump is going to manufacture a crisis to take over the elections. He talked about it last night on Rachel Maddow’s show.
He says Trump allies working in coordination with people close to the White House have circulated a draft executive order that would declare a national emergency based on false claims of foreign interference in the 2020 election. Trump would use the declaration would be used to unlock sweeping presidential powers over how Americans vote.
Warner explains the proposal would allow the federal government to bar widely used voting methods, including mail ballots. It would force Americans to reregister to vote on short notice, requiring proof of citizenship. It would insert federal agencies into the voter verification process in novel ways. And it would attempt to override the constitutional role of states in administering elections.
And that is just what is envisioned by the draft executive order, Warner warns. Further steps could be justified, at least on paper, by invoking emergency powers. The president could also attempt to seize voting machines under the guise of a national security investigation. Federal agents could be deployed to polling places in the name of election integrity, intimidating voters rather than protecting them. Entire categories of lawful ballots could be seized or discarded based on unsubstantiated claims of interference.
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