Concern is mounting among political observers and critics of U.S. President Donald Trump that his administration is laying the groundwork to meddle in crucial midterm elections that will determine which party controls Congress.
The fears peaked this week with Trump saying in an interview that Republicans in Washington should “take over” elections in at least 15 states, despite the U.S. Constitution giving states the lion’s share of authority over conducting elections.
Despite his press secretary’s subsequent attempt to downplay those comments, Trump went even farther on Tuesday, alleging there were “rigged, crooked elections” in the swing-state major cities of Detroit, Philadelphia and Atlanta and calling again for a federal government takeover of vote counting.
“When you see some of these states about how horribly they run their elections, what a disgrace it is,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
“The federal government should not allow that,” he said. “If they can’t count the votes legally and honestly, then somebody else should take over.”
Fears mount that Trump administration could meddle in U.S. elections | CBC News