CalWatchdog Morning Read – December 5

by CalWatchdog Staff | December 5, 2016 8:23 am

Good morning! Legislators are back in Sacramento today for the swearing in of their new colleagues. But at the same time, top Republicans are questioning the integrity of some of the state’s election results, forcing the state’s top election official to dismiss the allegations.

Leaders in the state party are concerned about local elections, particularly in one important Orange County state Senate race.

But President-elect Donald Trump fanned the flames by tweeting California was one of three states with “serious” voter fraud. His Sunday tweet followed another sent hours earlier claiming that he’d “won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.” 

So far, Trump has offered no proof to his claims, which were dismissed in great detail by PolitiFact California[1]. Secretary of State Alex Padilla immediately sent a press release disavowing the claim: “It appears that Mr. Trump is troubled by the fact that a growing majority of Americans did not vote for him. His unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud in California and elsewhere are absurd.”

California Republican Party Chairman Jim Brulte told party officials in an internal email obtained by CalWatchdog that the state has a history of “anomalies” that “deserve further scrutiny.” Brulte added that he believed “most of the government officials charged with ensuring voter and ballot integrity are good people who want to do the right thing.”

CalWatchdog[2] has more. 

In other news:

Legislature:

Gov. Brown:

Tips: [email protected]

Follow us: @calwatchdog @mflemingterp

New follower: @mwstafford

Endnotes:
  1. PolitiFact California: http://www.politifact.com/california/statements/2016/nov/28/donald-trump/pants-fire-trumps-claim-about-california-voter-fra/
  2. CalWatchdog: http://calwatchdog.com/2016/12/05/republicans-raise-concern-voter-fraud-orange-county-statewide-election/
  3. The Sacramento Bee: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/the-state-worker/article118694613.html#storylink=cpy
  4. San Francisco Chronicle: http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Becerra-urged-to-step-up-investigation-of-10688330.php
  5. Los Angeles Times: http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-ca-essential-politics-updates-democrats-in-the-legislature-are-going-1480913727-htmlstory.html
  6. Los Angeles Times: http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-ca-essential-politics-updates-california-senate-democrats-ask-1480716132-htmlstory.html
  7. today at 4:30 p.m.: https://www.gov.ca.gov/news.php?id=19611

Source URL: https://calwatchdog.com/2016/12/05/calwatchdog-morning-read-december-5/