News/Commentary

DOJ opens ‘multiple’ election fraud investigations in California, cites evidence

June 6, 2026 | | Print Article

As California’s vote counting stretched on, the Department of Justice made an appearance at Los Angeles’ ballot processing center amid “multiple election fraud investigations.”

“My office will not look the other way. We will investigate and prosecute.”

Following Tuesday’s jungle primary in the once-Golden State, those hoping change was coming via the advancement of gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton and Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt have been left in suspense, dreading the next count update will dash the chance of voting Republican in the general election.

On Friday, as the Associated Press reported that less than 70% of the vote had been counted, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli addressed the ongoing ballot count, confirming that active investigations were underway and citing prior evidence of election fraud.

Noting coordination with the FBI, Essayli posted to X, “my office has multiple election fraud investigations underway … We will follow the evidence wherever it leads and prosecute any violations of federal election law to the fullest extent.”

“My office is also working closely with [Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon] to conduct a comprehensive audit of California’s voter rolls. The state has stonewalled every effort to verify that only eligible U.S. citizens are registered to vote. This case is now before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal,” he went on. “My office will not look the other way. We will investigate and prosecute. Every legal vote deserves to be counted. Every illegal vote cancels one out.”

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Shortly thereafter, he drew attention to a post by Dhillon from May regarding the plea deal one Brenda Lee Brown Armstrong agreed to with the Justice Department, having admitted she paid homeless people in Los Angeles to register to vote.

“Yes. There is evidence of election fraud in California. Here’s a case we charged just last month,” said Essayli. “More investigations are underway.”

Speaking with the California Post, the Justice Department official expressed, “We are looking into any and all credible allegations — we have observers at the Registrar of Voters, to monitor the vote count and we are establishing a tip line for anyone who has information regarding voter fraud.”

On Friday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Renner was seen at Los Angeles County’s ballot processing center, which the Post reported had “large sections” going unused despite the large number of votes still to be counted.

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Reacting to that reporting, California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) offered a carefully worded statement: “My office has a presence on the ground right now, is monitoring the situation closely, and stands ready to protect voters and ensure California’s election laws are followed.”

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump cut to the chase on addressing the concerns related to California’s ballot counting and mail-in voting, stating early Thursday morning on Truth Social, “There’s BIG cheating by the Dumocrats in California. Votes are all tied up. May not be in for weeks. Under investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles. Why the vote counting DELAY???”

Sharing the president’s post, the Republican National Committee’s Election Integrity account asserted, “[Trump] is right. That’s why the RNC has boots on the ground and is fighting in the Supreme Court to stop ballots received after Election Day from being counted. MAKE ELECTIONS SECURE AGAIN!”

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In addition to addressing potential election fraud, Essayli also addressed misinformation spreading on social media when he spoke to allegations that large ballot drops were happening in favor of a single candidate without votes for the other candidates.

Debunking the claim, he told the Post, “We reviewed official county records. The claim is false. Each candidate received votes in every update. My office will continue monitoring the election counting process and will follow the evidence wherever it leads.”

Kevin Haggerty
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