First Assistant U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli on Friday morning said his office \u201chas multiple election fraud investigations underway,\u201d in coordination with the FBI in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n
Essayli\u2019s remarks, posted to X, seemed to be in response to President Trump alleging in his own social media post<\/a> late Wednesday that Democrats in California were \u201ccheating\u201d in the state\u2019s primary election, and that there was an investigation underway in Essayli\u2019s office.<\/p>\n Essayli\u2019s office also confirmed that one of its prosecutors \u2014 Assistant U.S. Atty. Robert Renner \u2014 was at a Los Angeles County ballot processing center Friday \u201cto observe the vote counting process.\u201d<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Dean Logan, head of the L.A. County registrar-recorder\/county clerk\u2019s office, described the visit as in line with other routine observations of the counting process, which is open to public observation<\/a> by appointment.<\/p>\n Democratic officials firmly rejected Trump\u2019s claims of cheating, which they had warned he would make in advance of the election given his long record of objecting to and claiming fraud in elections he and his party lose.<\/p>\n Trump provided no evidence for his claims, other than to complain about California taking a long time to count ballots and criticizing its mail ballot system, suggesting it was a source of fraud. California officials have acknowledged the process takes longer than they would like, but said that is a result of a careful, accurate count of millions of ballots, many of which were mailed on election day.<\/p>\n \u201cTaking the time to do this work correctly protects voters\u2019 rights and ensures the integrity of our elections,\u201d California Secretary of State Shirley Weber said Thursday. \u201cCalifornia has built a strong system that expands access, empowers voters, and ensures more Californians can fully participate in our democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n Essayli \u2014 a Trump loyalist the administration has kept in charge of one of the country\u2019s largest federal prosecutor\u2019s offices through a legal loophole<\/a>, and despite his failing to be confirmed by the Senate \u2014 also provided few details in his Friday post, saying he would not comment \u201con any specific investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n He said that protecting California\u2019s elections is \u201ca top priority\u201d for his office, and that \u201cCalifornia\u2019s election system has serious structural vulnerabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n He said California\u2019s mail ballot system, which a vast majority of voters rely on in the state, and its voter ID requirements \u2014 he said there were none, but California does have measures to ensure voters are who they say they are, including signature verification \u2014 create \u201cconditions where fraud can go undetected and unpunished, eroding public confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe will follow the evidence wherever it leads and prosecute any violations of federal election law to the fullest extent,\u201d Essayli said.<\/p>\n He also noted that his office is working with Assistant Atty. Gen. Harmeet Dhillon, head of the Justice Department\u2019s Civil Rights Division, to \u201cconduct a comprehensive audit of California\u2019s voter rolls.\u201d<\/p>\n