Trump lashed out on Friday after a federal judge ruled that Virginia must reinstate over 1,500 individuals to the state’s voter lists, labeling it “election interference.”
The Justice Department argued Virginia violated the “quiet period,” a federal rule that bars states from removing voters from their rolls within 90 days before an election.
U.S. District Judge Patricia Giles, appointed by President Biden, sided with the Justice Department and ordered that Virginia restore the registrations, following a hearing that started on Thursday.
The state’s governor, Glenn Youngkin (R), announced plans to challenge the decision, promising emergency appeals that could reach the Supreme Court if required.
“Let’s be clear about what just happened,” Youngkin stated. “Only eleven days before a Presidential election, a federal judge ordered Virginia to reinstate over 1,500 individuals – who self-identified themselves as noncitizens – back onto the voter rolls.”
He noted that, “Almost all these individuals had previously presented immigration documents confirming their noncitizen status, a fact recently verified by federal authorities.”
Trump criticized the ruling as undermining democracy and lauded Governor Youngkin for his efforts to address the issue, referring to Giles as a “radical judge.”
“This is blatantly un-American, and it’s election interference, and Kamala Harris is behind it very much. I just wanted to bring that to your attention,” Trump told a crowd in Austin, Texas.
“You have to get the confidence going for elections. When you have decisions coming out like that… it’s pretty sad for our country. We have enough problems with the elections. It’s about confidence.”
In a Thursday Truth Social post Trump wrote, “Sleepy Joe Biden and Comrade Kamala Harris ridiculously accuse me of wanting to ‘weaponize’ the Justice Department, when they have done all of the weaponizing.”
“Now, their truly Weaponized Department of ‘Injustice,’ and a Judge (appointed by Joe), have ORDERED the Great Commonwealth of Virginia to PUT NON-CITIZEN VOTERS BACK ON THE ROLLS,” he added.
