On a national level election integrity remains a hot topic with President Donald Trump issuing an executive order concerning the security of America's elections.
Allegations continue to surface raising even more questions concerning election interference during the 2020 election.
On Tuesday, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, released the following: "Internal Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) emails revealing the FBI suppressed intelligence of alleged Chinese interference in the 2020 election to insulate then-FBI Director Christopher Wray from criticism, after Wray provided inaccurate and contradictory testimony to Congress.
"The FBI declassified and provided the requested records to Grassley, along with an accompanying cover letter, after Grassley initially received some information from whistleblower disclosures. The FBI emails offer an inside look at the Bureau’s decision to recall and suppress an Intelligence Information Report (IIR) from the FBI’s Albany Field Office on September 25, 2020. The IIR contained information from an FBI Confidential Human Source (CHS) alleging the Chinese government was producing 'tens of thousands' of fraudulent drivers’ licenses to manufacture mail-in votes for then-presidential candidate Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
"According to the FBI, these allegations, despite showing initial signs of credibility, were allegedly never fully investigated due to the FBI’s sudden and 'abnormal' decision to halt the investigation and bury the IIR’s existence, preventing any additional FBI field offices, as well as other Intelligence Community elements, from accessing or studying the document. The FBI’s stated reason for doing so was because “the reporting will contradict Director Wray’s testimony.”
A snapshot from Texas
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has made arrests seeking the criminal prosecution concerning election law violations in the Lonestar state.
On May 7 Paxton's office arrested individuals, including public officials, for alleged election integrity violations.
Richard Owens
On June 17 Paxton's office issued another press release concerning investigations into 33 potential noncitizens who allegedly voted in the 2024 General Election after receiving a referral from Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson.
Paxton stated, “Noncitizens must not be allowed to influence American elections, and I will use the full weight of my office to investigate all voter fraud. In order to be able to trust the integrity of our elections, the results must be determined by our own citizens — not foreign nationals breaking the law to illegally vote. These potential instances of unlawful voting will be thoroughly investigated, and I will continue to stand with President Trump in fighting to ensure that our state’s elections are safe and secure.”
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin takes action
On Wednesday, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office issued a press release stating that his Election Integrity Unit (EIU) has made an arrest as a result of alleged illegal actions by a Ouachita County man Thomas Wesson.
“The State Board of Election Commissioners (SBEC) notified my office’s EIU after Wesson illegally cast a provisional ballot during the November 2024 general election in Ouachita County. Instead of following the proper procedure, he unlawfully inserted the ballot into the tabulator.
“During the investigation, agents from EIU discovered that Wesson, a convicted felon, had falsely stated on his Arkansas Voter Registration Application that he had never been convicted of a felony. He was convicted in 2000 for possession of narcotics, a Class C felony. Under Arkansas law, individuals with felony convictions are ineligible to vote until they have completed their sentences and restored their voting rights."
“Agents from my office, with help from the Ouachita County Sheriff’s Office, arrested Wesson today and charged him with one count of perjury, a Class C felony, and one count of election felony, a Class D felony. I commend my EIU agents, Thirteenth Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Rogers, the SBEC, and the Ouachita County Sheriff’s Office for their work on this case. Following his arrest, Wesson was booked in the Ouachita County Jail.”
The Reckoning reached out to Jeff LeMaster, Griffin's communications director, to clarify whether or not all felony convictions in Arkansas result in the loss of the right to vote. LeMaster confirmed "Yes."
The release states "individuals with felony convictions are ineligible to vote until they have completed their sentences and restored their voting rights."
According to US Vote Foundation website, Arkansas felons can restore their voting rights.
"If your felony is expunged, OR if your sentence is completed, including parole or probation, with all fees paid that are associated with sentencing at the time of conviction:
Get proof of expungement or sentence completion from the Department of Corrections or your Probation Office and submit this documentation to your county clerk's office when you register to vote."
Pulaski County remains in limbo
To date the Pulaski County Election debacle remains up in the air after the Reckoning broke the story in early November that someone inside Circuit/County Clerk Terri Hollingsworth's office violated election integrity laws by changing street files to voter precincts during early voting.
That change allowed four Pulaski County voters to cast ballots in the 2024 general election for candidates outside of their districts.
Richard Owens
The Reckoning reported the findings of the SBEC on May 15 that potential felony actions did occur in Pulaski County's 2024 early voting.
Richard Owens
To date no arrests have been made in Pulaski County.
As investigations continue across our state and nation, we bring you more and more information.
