DOJ Escalates Battle: Feds Accuse California of Blocking Voter Roll Audit Amid Election Integrity Debate

Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, Bill Essayli, sharply criticized California’s stance, stating, “If California genuinely wants voters to trust its elections, it should open its records, not fight to keep them closed.” Essayli made these remarks in a lengthy X post, which included a copy of a letter sent last year by U.S. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who spearheads the DOJ office enforcing federal voting-rights laws, to California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, demanding the state’s voter rolls for inspection.

“What are they afraid of?” Essayli provocatively questioned, fueling speculation.