Florida Dem Seeks DOJ Probe Into '18 Elections After Trump Quip (Newsmax)
By Eric Mack | Monday, 14 November 2022 02:28 PM EST
Failed Florida Democrat gubernatorial primary candidate Nikki Fried, the state's Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, is calling on the Justice Department to investigate the state's 2018 election.
Fried's call comes after former President Donald Trump's claimed in a Truth Social post that he rooted out "ballot theft" in Florida by sending in the FBI and Justice Department to monitor the count.
"To my knowledge, there was no involvement by the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the Office of the US Attorney in the 2018 Florida election," Fried wrote in a statement Monday.
"If the president was tampering with state ballots, we need to know. If he is fabricating these allegations in the name of politics, we also need to know. Either way, these actions hurt our democracy and Floridians deserve to know their elections are operating with integrity."
Fried called for the investigation in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday.
"Last week, former President Donald Trump made allegations that, with the help of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Attorneys, he assisted in ending 'ballot theft' in the 2018 election for Florida's governor and prevented that 'election from being stolen,' " Fried's letter read. "It is imperative you address these allegations immediately.
"There was no widespread election fraud in the 2018 election in Florida. There was no broad allegation that the election was being stolen from Ron DeSantis in favor of Andrew Gillum.
"I know because I was on the ballot in 2018. Although there was a recount for both the race for governor, as well as my own, there was no fraud, and no foul play. To my knowledge, there was no involvement by the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the Office of the United States Attorney.
"As you know, voter fraud and tampering with ballots is a serious charge. It is also a serious charge to make these allegations in the name of politics when no such charge occurred. This is why I strongly urge you to address this matter publicly as soon as possible."