Trump declared that he has assembled a team of lawyers and legal scholars who will be monitoring the 2024 election process closely.
Former President Donald Trump said Friday that the upcoming 2024 presidential election will be subjected to the “closest professional scrutiny” and that anyone caught cheating will face severe legal consequences if he wins.
In a post on Truth Social on Oct. 25, Trump said he intends to prevent what he described as “rampant cheating and skullduggery” which he said marred the 2020 presidential election.
“I, together with many Attorneys and Legal Scholars, am watching the Sanctity of the 2024 Presidential Election very closely,” Trump wrote.
The former president also said that if he is elected he intends to prosecute anyone committing election fraud “to the fullest extent of the Law, which will include long term prison sentences.”
In his message of deterrence that began with the warning to “CEASE & DESIST,” the former president said that the legal exposure would extend beyond people who cast votes illegally, and will include donors, lawyers, political operatives, and election officials who were found to have broken the law.
“Those involved in unscrupulous behavior will be sought out, caught, and prosecuted at levels, unfortunately, never seen before in our Country,” he wrote.
Trump has repeatedly said that election integrity in America has been compromised and has long argued for measures like stricter voter ID requirements, tighter mail-in ballot regulations, enhanced poll monitoring, and tougher penalties for election-related offenses.
Recent polling shows growing support among U.S. voters for election integrity measures compared to prior election cycles. The Gallup poll, released on Oct. 24, found that 84 percent of American adults support voter ID measures, marking an increase from the 80 percent who expressed support for the measure ahead of the 2016 election, and the 79 percent who backed it during the 2022 midterm elections. Additionally, 83 percent of respondents said they support requiring proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote.
At the same time, Americans are concerned about the integrity of the 2024 election, with just 37 percent believing it will be both honest and open to all eligible voters, according to a recent poll from Public Affairs Council/Morning Consult.
In the United States, election-related offenses, typically referred to as voter or election fraud, are serious crimes. For instance, under 52 U.S.C. § 20511, individuals who knowingly and willfully submit false voter registration applications, cast fraudulent ballots, or tabulate votes known to be materially false or fraudulent, are subject to criminal penalties, including fines or imprisonment for up to five years, or both.
The Department of Justice addresses election-related offenses primarily through its Election Crimes Branch, whose manual for prosecutors offers guidance on handling allegations like absentee ballot fraud, campaign finance crimes, misuse of federal programs for political purposes, fraudulent fundraising schemes, and criminal violations of federal voting rights statutes.