A federal prosecutor in California announced that investigations related to the state’s recent elections have been initiated. This follows unverified claims of election fraud by former President Donald Trump.
Bill Essayli, who serves as the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, confirmed on social media that his office is pursuing several election fraud investigations alongside the FBI. Essayli did not provide specific details but assured that his office would rigorously pursue any violations of federal election law.
“We will follow the evidence wherever it leads and prosecute any violations of federal election law to the fullest extent,”
Essayli also expressed criticism of California’s mail voting, a system frequently criticized by Trump in his unsupported claims of voter fraud.
Meanwhile, the FBI refrained from commenting on any election-related investigations underway in California. Around the same time Essayli made his announcement, a federal prosecutor from his office visited the ballot processing center for Los Angeles County. According to a statement from the L.A. County registrar’s office given to NBC News, they were informed that a government attorney would be attending to “observe ballot processing activities.” The visit included an overview of the public observation program and a walkthrough of the ballot processing operations.
The spokesperson for the registrar mentioned that ballot processing is open to public observation. Election officials regularly accommodate observers from diverse backgrounds, including politicians, advocacy groups, and the general public. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to inquiries regarding the prosecutor’s visit.
These developments came the day after Trump suggested, without evidence, that Democrats were attempting to manipulate the California primary elections. Trump claimed on Truth Social that there was significant cheating and questioned delays in the vote count.
Under California’s vote-by-mail system, announcing winners in competitive races often takes days. Per state laws, ballots postmarked on or before election day but received within seven days afterward are eligible for counting. For instance, in 2022, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass wasn’t declared the winner until eight days after election day. Bass is seeking re-election and has advanced to the November elections.
Mail-in ballots tend to favor Democratic candidates in California, a state that leans blue politically. In the state’s system, the primary election’s top two candidates move forward to the general election in November, regardless of party affiliation. As vote counting stretches on, Trump and his allies, including Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, have increased their criticism of the process.
By Friday evening, NBC News projected that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra will move on to the general election. Hilton and Democrat Tom Steyer are competing for the second spot. In the Los Angeles mayoral race, Trump-supported Spencer Pratt is challenging Democrat Nithya Raman to face Bass in the November election.