DHS officers told they could violate state laws during voter fraud probe
A whistleblower revealed that Department of Homeland Security lawyers instructed officers to ignore state restrictions while investigating potential noncitizen voting on Monday.
Instructions given to investigators
DHS lawyers informed the field officers that they would not face responsibility for breaking state laws regarding voter data access. The administration increased its scrutiny of noncitizen voting as midterm elections approach. Officers received compiled lists of flagged voters to search against official state websites.
Concerns about legal risks
Some states require users to click disclaimers confirming they are authorized to view voter records. Investigators expressed worry that their actions might constitute computer fraud under these specific rules. The probe has so far identified only a small number of potential cases.
Targeting of citizen voters
The report suggests the search efforts might incorrectly focus on American citizens rather than just noncitizens. Employees were given sensitive information about people marked as unlawful voters for this task. The whistleblower stated these methods could lead to violations of existing state statutes.
2 outlets, different leads
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The Guardian
DHS officers raise concerns over potentially illegal voter searches and unreliable data, whistleblower says
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The Hill
Whistleblower says DHS voter probe might violate state laws, wrongly target US citizens
Reported by
2 independent outlets. Headlines as published. Links open the original report.