Senate Democrats pressed Trump administration officials Tuesday on whether they plan to send federal agents or National Guard members to polling places this fall — an extreme and likely illegal move President Donald Trump has not ruled out publicly.
In a letter to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, the senators demanded clarity on whether the administration would follow through on the threats floated by Trump allies in recent months.
“Rather than assuaging public concern about the Administration’s intentions, its highest-ranking officials have consistently left open the possibility of armed federal law enforcement officers policing polling places, which federal law expressly prohibits,” the lawmakers, led by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), wrote.
They added, “The Administration now has a choice. It can continue to fuel the appearance that it is laying the groundwork for an unprecedented federal intrusion into state-run elections, or it can finally provide Congress and the American people with the transparency they deserve.”
Trump continues to push his debunked conspiracy theory of mass voter fraud, which he falsely claims cost him the 2020 election that he lost to former President Joe Biden. He has been pressuring congressional Republicans to pass a major bill full of voting restrictions aimed at giving GOP candidates a leg up over Democrats in elections.
“Rather than assuaging public concern about the Administration’s intentions, its highest-ranking officials have consistently left open the possibility of armed federal law enforcement officers policing polling places.”
– Senate Democrats in a letter to Trump administration officials
The president has argued for taking powers away from states and “nationalizing” elections, raising fears he would try to wield federal law enforcement powers to influence outcomes. The White House initially said there were no “formal plans” to deploy agents or troops when the idea was floated by MAGA booster and former Trump strategist Steve Bannon earlier this year, but the administration has been coy about the issue since then.
When a reporter asked Trump in May if he would deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents or National Guard members, he replied, “I’d do anything necessary to make sure we have honest elections.”
Blanche deflected on the issue during his confirmation hearing earlier this month, when Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) asked him directly if he would commit to not sending federal agents to polling places. Blanche, who has promoted the president’s nonsense voter fraud claims, replied that he would “commit to following the law.”
Earlier this year, at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Blanche seemed keen on the idea of having ICE agents at voting sites.