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DOJ Vows Swift Action on Election Threats


Alright, folks, so on Monday, Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray stated they’re serious about protecting our election and election workers.

No more trying to cheat, okay?

This year they’re going to make sure everyone follows all the rules.

They also made it clear they’re serious when it comes to threats against officials running this year’s elections.

They promised a swift response to any threats and vowed to tackle the increasing use of sophisticated tech to obscure the origins of disruptions.

And cases involving AI and other digital tricks will face extra scrutiny and harsher penalties.

They also state how they’re going to focus on ‘cyber-enabled campaigns’.

So if you repost a tweet, well, that means you’re now part of that campaign.

You tell ’em, Garland! We totally believe you’re on our side!

What it really boils down to, is increased censorship ahead of the election.

Politico reports:

Top Justice Department leaders promised Monday to respond swiftly to threats against officials overseeing this year’s elections and to combat the increasing use of sophisticated technology to disguise the origins of any disruptions.

With a close-fought presidential campaign looming in November, high-ranking federal officials convened at DOJ headquarters to warn that threats of violence related to the election will be pursued aggressively and prosecutors will seek extra punishment in cases involving artificial intelligence and other digital advances.

“If you threaten to harm or kill an election worker, volunteer or official, the Justice Department will find you and we will hold you accountable,” Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters at the outset of the meeting. “The public servants who administer our elections must be able to do their jobs without fearing for their sanity or their families. We will aggressively investigate and prosecute those who threaten election workers.”

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, who is overseeing the Justice Department’s response to AI, said emerging technologies are increasingly involved in efforts to intimidate pollworkers and others who manage elections.

“A particularly disturbing trend across these cases is the way perpetrators use new technologies to mask their identities and communicate their threats,” Monaco said. “Today, criminals use a range of anonymizing technologies, not just burner phones and social media.”

While FBI Director Christopher Wray also avoided specifics Monday, he did observe that some recent threats to those involved in the electoral process have taken place “even after elections.”

“Any threat of violence into an election official, volunteer or staff, is completely unacceptable, and something the FBI takes very seriously,” Wray said.

Washington Post adds:

Attorney General Merrick Garland warned Monday of mounting violent threats against election workers across the country, and vowed that the Justice Department will be “relentless” in prosecuting those who threaten the democratic process.

Speaking to reporters ahead of a meeting of the department’s Election Threats Task Force, Garland cited a handful of cases over the past several years in which poll workers in Arizona, Michigan and Georgia — swing states in the presidential election — have faced death threats. In each instance, he said, federal prosecutors won convictions against the perpetrators and sentences of up to 3½ years in federal prison.

Since its inception in June 2021, the Election Threats Task Force has brought 17 prosecutions, scoring 13 convictions, Justice Department officials said.

Remember when Garland was stirring up division among Black voters? He’s a race-baiter, through and through with no intent on making elections fair.



 

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