加利福尼亚州总检察长罗布·邦塔指责特朗普政府威胁地方选举官员，在接受MS NOW雅各布·索博罗夫采访时表示，联邦政府正“试图欺凌、恐吓和威胁”公职人员，以此在中期选举前施压。
California Attorney General Rob Bonta castigated the Trump administration for threatening local election officials, telling MS NOW’s Jacob Soboroff that the federal government is “trying to bully and frighten and intimidate” public servants ahead of the midterm elections.
上周晚些时候，司法部警告洛杉矶县官员，如果他们处理或统计联邦政府怀疑是非公民的选民的选票，可能会面临起诉，这一消息来自MS NOW获得的一封信。
Late last week, the Justice Department warned Los Angeles County officials that they could face prosecution if they process or tabulate a ballot from someone the federal government suspects is a noncitizen, according to a letter obtained by MS NOW.
该警告是在政府起诉加利福尼亚州之后发出的，政府试图阻止该州统计其认定为“可能”非公民的人的邮寄选票，直至其公民身份得到核实。该诉讼称，加利福尼亚州有超过2万名可能是非公民的人已登记投票。
The warning came after the administration sued California, seeking to block the state from counting mail ballots from people it has identified as “likely” noncitizens until their citizenship can be verified. The lawsuit alleges that more than 20,000 people who may be noncitizens are registered to vote in California.
邦塔表示，政府针对的官员是致力于准确计票并保护加利福尼亚人投票权的公职人员。
Bonta said the officials targeted by the administration are public servants working to count votes accurately and protect Californians’ right to vote.
“在这里，你可以看到联邦政府，以夸张、恐吓和欺凌的手段，试图吓唬他们剥夺选民的投票权，这是错误的，”他周日说道。
“Here you have the federal government, with bluster and intimidation and bullying, trying to scare them into disenfranchising voters, and it’s wrong,” he said Sunday.
总检察长称政府关于广泛选举欺诈的说法毫无根据，表示审计、重新计票和法院案件均未发现此类证据。虽然不合格的投票应被起诉，但他表示，政府正利用孤立案例攻击各州并剥夺选民的投票权。
The attorney general called the administration’s claims about widespread voter fraud baseless, saying audits, recounts and court cases have found no evidence of it. While ineligible voting should be prosecuted, he said, the administration is using isolated cases to attack states and disenfranchise voters.
“有时候会出现个别情况，一些人试图或已经违反选举法，比如橙县的一名共和党人试图让他的狗投票，”他说。“那这个人应该被起诉吗？是的，他们应该被起诉，我们也不认为任何不合资格的选民应该投票。但这里发生的事情是，特朗普政府正在攻击各州，通常是蓝色州或摇摆州，他们想挑衅的州。”博塔表示，对加利福尼亚的攻击是政府在中期选举前对全国选举产生怀疑的更广泛努力的一部分。
“There are one-offs, at times, when some human beings try to or have violated the election laws, like a Republican in Orange County who tried to her dog,” he said. “And should that person get prosecuted? Yes, they should, and we do not think any ineligible voter should vote. But what is happening here is the Trump administration is attacking states, usually blue states or swing states, that they want to pick a fight with.”Bonta said the attacks on California are part of a wider effort by the administration to sow doubt about the country’s elections before the midterms.
“他们很绝望。这对他们来说很丢脸。他们正处于这个选举周期的垂死挣扎中，正面对着一股蓝色浪潮，他们将在这股浪潮中遭到惨败，他们正在为他们在惨败之后要做的事情做计划，”他对MS NOW说。“这是他们的应急计划。”博塔表示，加州将坚定维持其“对准确、公平、可靠、安全选举的承诺”，并继续与政府斗争。“我们将在法庭上与联邦政府对峙，”他说。
“They’re desperate. It’s embarrassing for them. They’re in the death throes of this election cycle, staring down a blue wave where they’re going to get thrashed, and they are planning for what they do after they get thrashed,” he told MS NOW. “This is their contingency plan.”Bonta said California would stand firm in its “commitment to accurate, fair, reliable, secure elections” and keep fighting the administration. “We will meet the federal government in court,” he said.