Trump is Blackmailing Minnesota Over Data

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As I’m writing this news is hitting that Greg Bovino is out - and Border Czar Tom Homan is heading to Minneapolis. I’m not sure that’s a good thing. Read my 2024 piece on Homan to figure out why that might be: The Dangerous Depravity of Tom Homan. (tl;dr he’s a racist and anti-semite that believes in the Great White Replacement Theory)

But I’m here to write about more long-term threatening news. Trump and his Attorney General Pam Bondi is threatening Minnesota with continued ICE killings and raids unless they give up their data.

Yeah, that what this is all about. It’s not about deporations (I mean other than creating scary content for the MAGA crowd) it’s been about getting the blue states voting data so that they can create a newer more effective* Interstate Crosscheck.

Ok, so some of you are new here. What was Interstate Crosscheck. It’s a voter suppression program created by the author of AZ SB1070 - the ‘papers please’ law, Kris Kobach. It combines all the states voter info together and claims that David Washington in Kansas is the same David Washington in Illinois. Well, that’s a problem. Why?

Well, thankfully I’ve been covering this story long enough that I have a nice little video for you from Best Democracy Money Can Buy, a documentary I co-produced.

The Trump administration tried this before. In their first attempt they created a “Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity” - it was a farce from the beginning loaded with right wingers who believed all the voter fraud bullshit that right wing media has spewed over the last 25 years. Some of the commission members even had their hand in creating it (I’m looking at you Ken Blackwell.) The commission was led by VP Pence and Kris Kobach… in reality it was Kobach’s party. Kobach quickly demanded the voting data from all 50 states - much like Pam Bondi is doing now.

The Threats

The first threats came on January 9th when U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins threatened that “USDA would freeze all federal financial awards to the state “until sufficient proof has been provided that the fraud has stopped.” So far this threat hasn’t been followed through but according to MPRNews it leaves $29 million in federal funds in question.

The Trump administration has for as far back as September been trying to get the voting rolls from states like Minnesota - now that they have Federal officers on the ground killing American citizens they have decided they have leverage. On January 24th, Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a letter to Governor Tim Walz. The letter cited Mayor Frey and Walz’s not so kind words about ICE being in their city, that protesters were interfering with ICE’s operations, claims of violence against officers being up hundreds of percent (with Zero proof) and finally three ransom notes.

1: Share the all of the “Minnesota’s records on Medicaid and Food and Nutrition Service programs” so that they can investigate claims of corruption.

2: Repeal Sanctuary City provisions “that have led to so much crime and violence in your state.” There is zero proof of this and having been there for a week covering ICE operations on the ground I didn’t see the city of the state do anything at all to protect non-citizens from ICE kidnappings.

3: “Allow the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice to access voter rolls to confirm that Minnesota’s voter registration practices comply with federal law as authorized by the Civil Rights Act of 1960.”

The third one is the long term-fuckery that the this administration really wants. Giving this Federal government voting rights data would give them the content they so desperately need to feed the voter fraud disinformation beast. If the DOJ receives data from “blue” states they will be able “certify” the claims that Kris Kobach and the Heritage Foundation has been making for 20 years - that millions of people are voting twice or voting illegally every election.

It will all be a lie, but they will be able to grasp upon the moment claiming that they have the data - much like Kobach once did - and tell all the right wing media that they were right all along.

Vice President of the Brennan Center Wendy Weiser tweeted that “What do voter rolls have to do with ICE? Nothing. But they have a lot to do with the administration’s ongoing efforts to meddle in elections. The administration may not threaten ICE deployment to pressure states to cooperate with its improper efforts to interfere in elections.”

One can hope that Governor Tim Walz and Secretary of State State Simon stand their ground and protect them from the people trying use terror threats against them.

Other reading:

Tracker of Justice Department Requests for Voter Information

Alarm as Trump DoJ pushes for voter information on millions of Americans

Critics slam Pam Bondi’s demand for Minnesota voter rolls amid ICE surge

Trump administration scales back threats to cut off funding to Minnesota ag programs

Why Is the Trump Administration Demanding Minnesota’s Voter Rolls?

Watch how Crosscheck turned into a national citizen voter suppression program in Vigilantes INC.: