DOJ Says Investigators Found No Mass Fraud In Los Angeles Elections

In Los Angeles elections, DOJ figures acknowledged limited evidence for a sweeping conspiracy after President Donald Trump made claims about Democrats rigging the vote, and the First Deputy U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said, “We are looking for any wide-scale conspiracies,” while adding, “Right now, I would say our investigations are directed more toward individuals.”

“Federal authorities have seized over a dozen websites they say were used by suspected Chinese agents to recruit former and current American officials with security clearances”

CNN

Essayli told the Glenn Beck Program that “We are doing the job, doing everything possible under the circumstances, and I expect people to be held accountable,” and he urged witnesses to come forward as he said prosecutions in California are only a matter of time.

CNN

The DOJ focus, as described in the report, remained on individual cases “from illegal registration to foreign participation in elections,” while critics raised questions about access to voter lists and disclosure requirements.

The article also quotes David Becker saying, “The main thing here is the transparency of the electoral process,” as the debate continues over whether there are grounds for a sweeping criminal case concerning California’s electoral process.

Federal authorities announced on June 10 the seizure of 13 internet domains tied to what the U.S. Justice Department called fake consulting firms designed to recruit current or former U.S. government and military employees to provide information to suspected Chinese agents.

The Straits Times report says the takedowns came a week after the United States, Britain and the other Five Eyes intelligence alliance countries warned of China using job platforms to target individuals for intelligence, and it notes the Chinese Embassy in London told Reuters the Western claims were “pure fabrication and malicious slander.”

mezha.net

In the Justice Department’s statement, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro for the District of Columbia said, “any attempts to exploit Americans trusted with access to our nation’s most sensitive information will be exposed and dismantled,” framing the seizures as a response to the alleged recruiting effort.

The report also points to a prior espionage case involving Kevin Mallory, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted on charges of conspiring to transmit US defence secrets to China.

Alongside the domain seizures, the Nextgov/FCW report says prosecutors alleged the sites posed as legitimate consulting companies to recruit current and former U.S. officials into sharing sensitive government information for payment, with the campaign allegedly beginning in November 2023.

“Prosecutors said the domains posed as legitimate consulting companies to recruit current and former U”

Nextgov/FCW

CNN reports that the FBI’s affidavit says the websites were used as a front for fake “consulting companies to recruit individuals in the United States to obtain sensitive and possibly classified information in exchange for monetary payments,” and it lists recruiter demands for papers on topics including China and US relations and Iran and the Israel-Palestine war.

CNN adds that the Justice Department noted the people running the websites “denied any involvement by any foreign government,” while the FBI said the conspirators used identify theft, AI-generated photos and videos, and “relatively large payments for research reports.”

The Nextgov/FCW account also describes a U.S. effort to publicize targeting, citing an Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence Lt. Gen. Anthony R. Hale memo in November warning that foreign adversaries are targeting soldiers, civilians and their families through fake companies and phony recruiters.