The Justice Department’s top Civil Rights official accused New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill of criticizing President Donald Trump’s election integrity claims even though she already knew her administration was about to disclose a major voter registration problem.
In his July 16 address, Trump accused China of acquiring sensitive voter data and said US intelligence agencies hid that revelation from the public while also alleging several Democrat-run states, including New Jersey, have large numbers of noncitizens registered to vote.
Department of Homeland Security data released in concert with the speech found more than 35,000 potential noncitizens are on the Garden State’s rolls.
“When the president came out with his Primetime speech last Thursday, I believe in the sequencing of events that has been laid out, she already knew that this revelation was forthcoming,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said.
“She knew it, and she still went online and called the president a liar and said he was exaggerating – Shame on you, governor.”
Dhillon said governors willing to cooperate with the DOJ would receive assistance but warned states refusing to do so could face lawsuits.
“It’s a bipartisan problem, actually. And I’m really looking forward to helping everyone who will work with us fix this problem. And if they won’t work with, we’ll sue them and we’ll still fix the problem.”
Following Trump’s address, Sherrill signed on to a statement with 23 other Democratic governors attempting to throw cold water on the president’s wide-ranging claims, calling him a liar, as Dhillon said.
“It’s deeply alarming that President Trump continues to try to undermine free and fair elections. No amount of lies and conspiracy theories can change the fact that our country’s elections have repeatedly been proven to be safe and secure,” read the rebuke, formally led by Kentucky Gov. Andrew Beshear.
Sherrill’s co-signed statement went on to accuse Trump of trying to “intimidate and silence voters” while claiming Democrats are the ones “actually making life better for American families by lowering costs, creating jobs and protecting our freedoms.”
“Ours is a winning message, which is why he is trying to undermine democracy.”
Dhillon said Sherrill and all other governors should join with DOJ to investigate every substantive claim of election integrity violations, warning it is their own citizens who stand to be hurt.
“Every single person who voted illegally canceled out the vote of a New Jersey voter; that is shameful,” she said.
“And instead of pointing fingers at the president, which is what Governor Sherrill did… she should be raising her hand to work with the federal government to clean this up ASAP because that’s the vow she took when she ran for office and she got sworn in as the governor of her state is to protect her citizens, and her citizens have a right to vote.”
Dhillon’s letter gave Sherrill five business days, expiring Tuesday, to turn over voter data in the case. Meanwhile, Sherrill indicated to WCBS that she wouldn’t be complying.
“It is not a surprise… the Trump administration wants to immediately weaponize this against people as opposed to focusing on making sure we’re running free and fair elections,” the Democrat said.
Asked about the accusation Sherrill knew about her own state’s motor-voter scandal when she accused Trump of being a liar, Sherrill spokesman Sean Higgins pointed Fox News Digital to comments she made after touring a grocery store in Essex County to sign unrelated legislation.
In response to a reporter’s question on the scandal, Sherrill said her administration is moving quickly because Jerseyans deserve transparency.
“We’re running an independent investigation right now to get to the bottom of exactly how this happened and what’s going on, but it is not a surprise to me that the federal government that the Trump administration wants to immediately weaponize this against people as opposed to focusing on making sure that we’re running free and fair elections,” Sherrill said.
Pennsylvania, New York and several other states have also resisted DOJ requests for voter registration data, arguing federal law and state privacy protections limit what information can be shared.
The DOJ has also sued officials in some of the states over the election integrity crisis, including New Jersey Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell.
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