FBI Agents Fear Orders to Seize Midterm Ballots

FBI agents are expressing alarm over the possibility that the agency will be ordered to seize voting machines and ballots during this week's midterm elections. The concern stems from a belief that the bureau is being positioned to support President Donald Trump's efforts to influence the outcome of the races.

MS NOW reported Wednesday that seven unnamed sources within the agency shared these fears. The sources indicated that agents are specifically worried about executing orders to take physical control of election materials. One current FBI official told the channel, “I’m worried about that situation for sure.” The official added, “We have all the evidence we need to expect at least one U.S. attorney and one FBI agent to be willing to sign on to such actions, such as Georgia and Arizona.”

Current and former FBI officials state that recent attempts to cast doubt on election integrity have heightened internal anxiety. Ex-law enforcement figures noted that advocates for fair elections are preparing to offer legal advice to agents who may receive questionable or potentially illegal directives at polling sites.

The administration has intensified its focus on controlling the midterms amid the possibility of Democrats reclaiming the House and Senate. This week, an appeals court denied the government's request to leave uncounted votes from 20,000 alleged noncitizens in California. The Department of Justice has also sued dozens of states to gain access to voter rosters, a move the department claims is necessary to prevent noncitizens from voting. Many of these lawsuits have already been dismissed.

Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, a Republican who oversees elections in her state, recently spoke on 60 Minutes about the shifting nature of threats to the electoral process. “In the past two elections that I oversaw as lieutenant governor, the threats were all external,” Henderson said. “Non-state actors, cybersecurity threats and other things. But now we also have threats coming from within our own government.”

With Tuesday's election days away, the White House and Department of Justice have not yet responded to requests for comment. The administration has also filed a lawsuit in Alaska seeking to decertify the results of the U.S. Senate election if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses. The Justice Department argues that a different candidate named Dan Sullivan on the ballot will confuse voters, despite clear distinctions made on the ballot itself.