Acting DHS chief says he has no authority to send agents to polling stations after Trump comments

Acting Department of Secretary of Homeland Security Chad WolfChad WolfSunday shows preview: Republicans go for national convention, USPS debate continues in Washington DHS chief denies systemic racism in law enforcement Homeland Security labels ACLU call to dismantle political stunt MAY said Sunday that DHS has no authority to send federal agents to check polling stations in November, despite President TrumpDonald John TrumpTwo ‘The Apprentice’ Producers Help at Republican National Convention Some 70,000 lives could be saved in the near future if people wear masks: Trump researchers issue disaster declaration for California as wildfire rages MAY‘s promise to have a federal legislative presence at the election day.

“That’s not what we do at the Homeland Security Department,” Wolf said of CNN’s State of the Union when asked about Trump’s comments. “We have law enforcement authorities and law enforcement officials from the department. We have explicitly given authority through Congress and this is not one of them.”

“This is not a mission for the Department of Homeland Security,” Wolf added, noting that he has not had any talks with Trump about sending federal agents to polling stations.

Asked about Trump’s prospect of asking DHS to send armed agents to polling stations on election day, Wolf reiterated, “We have no authority to do so at the department.”

Acting DHS secretary Chad Wolf says the president has not discussed the commitment of legislators from his department to polling stations. “We do not do that in the Homeland Security department.” #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/VLeWzOv2Of

– CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) August 23, 2020

Trump sounded the alarm last Thursday after saying in an interview with Fox News that he planned to send sheriffs, federal lawmakers and U.S. lawyers in November as part of an effort to prevent voter fraud. The pledge prompted immediate scrutiny by suffrage advocates and others, who suggested the vow could amount to illegal voter intimidation.

Federal law prohibits all behavior that intimidates voters. Some states have banned laws with law enforcement officers maintaining a presence at polling stations on election day. For example, in Pennsylvania, a state law prevents police officers from being at polling stations unless they are there to vote or serve a warrant, according to a memo from the Brennan Center for Justice.

Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, told NBC News that Trump’s plan “would likely run from laws banning voter intimidation.”

“[Our group] will use every tool in our arsenal to block thinly-veiled efforts aimed at discouraging participation by eligible voters this election season, ”she added.

Trump has repeatedly circulated unfounded allegations of voter fraud in recent months as more states expand post-vote opportunities due to the coronavirus pandemic. The president has said it is putting Republicans at a disadvantage and has claimed it can direct the election.

Election experts say, however, that there is no basis for Trump’s claims.

Five states – Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah and Washington – already hold elections almost entirely by mail. Meanwhile, 33 states and the District of Columbia give voters the option. About 83 percent of Americans will have the chance to vote by mail this fall, according to The Washington Post.