California Secretary of State Alex Padilla (D) claimed Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s opposition to the state’s vote-by-mail order shows the president is gearing up to challenge November’s presidential election results if he loses to Joe Biden.
“Trump’s war on voting rights continues. His lies and conspiracy theories only serve to undermine vote by mail in order to suppress the vote. Ultimately, he’s setting up an attack on election results he doesn’t like this fall,” Padilla wrote on social media.
Earlier Tuesday, President Trump warned the upcoming White House election would be “rigged” if Democrats succeed in enacting mail-in ballots amid the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.
“There is NO WAY (ZERO!) that Mail-In Ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent. Mail boxes will be robbed, ballots will be forged & even illegally printed out & fraudulently signed,” the president tweeted. The Governor of California is sending Ballots to millions of people, anyone living in the state, no matter who they are or how they got there, will get one. That will be followed up with professionals telling all of these people, many of whom have never even thought of voting before, how, and for whom, to vote.”
“This will be a Rigged Election. No way!” he concluded.
On Sunday, the Republican National Committee (RNC), National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), and California Republican Party (CRP) sued Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and Padilla, alleging an executive order mandating that all state registered voters receive mail-in ballots is an “illegal power grab.”
“In a direct usurpation of the legislature’s authority, Governor Newsom issued an executive order purporting to rewrite the entire election code for the November 2020 election cycle,” reads the lawsuit. “This brazen power grab was not authorized by state law and violates both the Elections Clause and Electors Clause of the U.S. Constitution.”
The complaint alleges that Newsom “created a recipe for disaster” that could possibly lead to voter fraud.
“Democrats continue to use this pandemic as a ploy to implement their partisan election agenda, and Governor Newsom’s executive order is the latest direct assault on the integrity of our elections,” RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement. “Newsom’s illegal power grab is a recipe for disaster that would destroy the confidence Californians deserve to have in the security of their vote.”
Earlier Sunday, President Trump accused Democrats of trying to exploit the pandemic to push mail-in ballot plans for the election, stating that the move will lead to “the greatest Rigged Election in history.”
“The United States cannot have all Mail In Ballots. It will be the greatest Rigged Election in history. People grab them from mailboxes, print thousands of forgeries and “force” people to sign,” the president tweeted. “Also, forge names. Some absentee OK, when necessary. Trying to use Covid for this Scam.”