Local prosecutors preparing to stop federal agents invading election sites

MS NOW -  As election officials across the country brace for the possibility of federal agents descending on polling sites in November, a nationwide coalition of Democratic district attorneys has vowed to prosecute any federal agent suspected of intimidating voters.

The announcement, first reported by Politico, comes shortly after President Donald Trump refused to rule out sending U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to election sites during the midterms. “I’d do anything necessary to make sure we have honest elections,” Trump told reporters earlier this month.

The coalition includes prosecutors from Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Dallas and Northern Virginia, among other jurisdictions.

“We’re ready to go,” Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner told MS NOW’s Chris Jansing on Thursday. “In the same way that my office and the offices of these other members of this group have successfully prosecuted civilians and also prosecuted law enforcement, we will prosecute federal agents who try to interfere with elections.”

“It’s a crime in almost every jurisdiction to engage in election interference under state law,” he added, “and they better get ready for the handcuffs and the jail cell.”

Federal law prohibits voter intimidation and interference at polling sites. Many states also have statutes that criminalize voter intimidation.

in a statement.