Lara Trump is facing a fierce backlash over her alarming statements about manipulating ballots in upcoming elections. Her controversial remarks, which include plans to “physically handle ballots” and impede mail-in voting, have raised alarms among election observers.
The Republican National Committee (RNC), in tandem with Donald Trump’s campaign and other GOP affiliates, has launched a federal lawsuit against Nevada’s election officials, seeking to halt the counting of mail-in ballots arriving after Election Day, defying state law.
During an interview on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures, Lara Trump, wielding considerable influence as the RNC’s co-chair and daughter-in-law of Donald Trump, issued a stark warning, tellign Maria Bartiromo:
“You cannot have ballots counted, Maria, after elections are over and right now that is one of the many lawsuits we have out across this country to ensure that just that happens. That we have a free, fair and transparent election. So, in Nevada … we are saying we want on Election Day to be the last day that mail-in ballots can be counted.”
The response to Lara Trump’s incendiary rhetoric has been swift and resolute. Election supervisors, including Jerry Holland of Duval County, Florida, have emphatically asserted that “poll watchers must not handle ballots,” cautioning against any deviation from established procedures.
“In Duval County we have as a minimum two Republicans and two Democrats in each voting location, with specific instructions to call me immediately if anyone violates any procedures or election laws,” Holland said.
Social media platforms have erupted with condemnation, with legal experts and commentators alike expressing grave concerns over the implications of Lara Trump’s directives. Bradley P. Moss, a prominent national security attorney, minced no words in describing the situation as a “national emergency,” highlighting the gravity of the unfolding crisis.
In a startling revelation on Newsmax, Lara Trump unveiled the GOP’s clandestine efforts to exert control over the electoral process in the upcoming 2024 election. Her admission of recruiting operatives to “physically manipulate” ballots has sent shockwaves through the political landscape, prompting widespread condemnation and calls for accountability.
“We now have the ability at the RNC not just to have poll watchers—people standing in polling locations—but people who can physically handle the ballots,” she told host Eric Bolling.
Lara Trump: We now have the ability at the RNC not just to have poll watchers… but people who can physically handle the ballots… pic.twitter.com/xd06medJal
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 24, 2024
Former President Donald Trump’s persistent claims of election fraud, coupled with his allies’ advocacy for manual ballot recounts, have further inflamed tensions. Yet, Lara Trump’s brazen proposal to allow partisan operatives to handle ballots has drawn sharp rebuke from across the political spectrum, with critics denouncing it as a direct assault on democracy.
Democratic attorney Marc E. Elias was quick to condemn Lara Trump’s directives, labeling them a grave threat to the democratic process. The prospect of partisan operatives infiltrating polling stations to tamper with ballots has raised alarm bells, prompting calls for immediate action to safeguard the sanctity of the ballot box.
“Poll observers are NEVER permitted to touch ballots,” he wrote. “She is suggesting the RNC will infiltrate election offices,” Elias wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Poll observers are NEVER permitted to touch ballots. She is suggesting the RNC will infiltrate election offices. https://t.co/kYHBQo5rvu
— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) April 24, 2024
Political science experts, such as Columbia University’s Robert Shapiro, have sounded the alarm, warning that Lara Trump’s directives could potentially constitute criminal vote tampering.
“If you take her literally that is vote tampering that is illegal,” he said. “You have to ask her for a clarification. The press should now watch who gets hired to work in counting votes on Election Day, if she is to be believed.”
