Donald Trump could take unprecedented action to interfere in the United States' midterm elections, warn former US intelligence chiefs and Trump administration insiders.
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chiefs → take → elections
As Americans prepare to head to the polls this week, Four Corners spoke to a former CIA boss, a former FBI director, and four senior advisors from Trump's first administration.
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Corners → prepare → administration
They fear the president's persistent criticisms of the electoral process may be a precursor to him meddling in the midterms or rejecting the results.
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him → fear → results
Former CIA director John Brennan says in Trump's America, nothing is off limits.
"He has defiled the office of the presidency," he says.
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he → say → presidency
Trump's homeland security chief has even suggested federal immigration agents could be deployed to polling booths.
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agents → suggest → booths
Fears of meddling from the White House
Former US intelligence chiefs Brennan and James Comey both sounded the alarm over Russian interference in the 2016 election that swept Trump to power.
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that → sound → power
Now, they say the risk of election meddling is coming from Trump himself.
"I do worry about what he could do in the run-up to the election [and] what he might do on the day of, as well as in the aftermath," says Brennan, who was CIA director when Trump took office in 2017.
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Trump → say → 2017
Although Trump's name is not on the ballot paper, Americans are expected to use the midterms as a referendum on Trump's second term in office.
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Americans → expect → office
Polls suggest the Democrats are poised to win the House of Representatives and possibly snatch control of the Senate.
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Democrats → suggest → Senate
Brennan says the president is trying to sow doubt in the elections, and warns nothing is off limits.
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nothing → say → limits
"Donald Trump's attitude, as evidenced by his actions, is he's willing to go beyond limits and then dare people to pull him back, or to challenge the courts and others to stop him from doing it," Brennan says.
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Brennan → evidence → it
Comey, who served as FBI director between 2013 and 2017, shares Brennan's concerns.
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who → serve → concerns
"These midterm elections … are the most important, certainly in my lifetime, and maybe ever in the United States because we have an out-of-control presidency," Comey says.
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Comey → have → presidency
"One branch of our government that's supposed to be constraining [Trump] is missing in action.
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that → suppose → action
"To replace that with a group of representatives who will work to constrain this president is the most important mission of my lifetime."
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who → replace → lifetime
Just before Trump's inauguration in January 2017, Comey briefed the president-elect about Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
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Comey → brief → election
Four months later, he was sacked after refusing to pledge his personal loyalty to the president during a private dinner at the White House.
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he → sack → House
Since Trump's return to power, both Comey and Brennan have been targeted by the Department of Justice.
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Comey → target → Justice
Comey was recently charged with criminal offences for the third time.
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Comey → charge → time
"We, as a country, made an enormous mistake returning Donald Trump to power," Comey says.
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Comey → make → power
"And we've seen the consequences of that mistake."
Risk of ICE agents confronting voters at polling booths
The president's Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has flagged Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers could be deployed if there was a threat to a polling place or if they were serving a warrant.
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they → see → warrant
He also warned local and state election officials they could face arrest — and possibly jail — if they fail to comply with the Trump administration’s election demands.
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they → warn → demands
Ty Cobb served as special counsel in the first Trump White House, and says Mullin's proposal is a deliberate attack on democratic processes.
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proposal → serve → processes
I mean, the man is a moron," he says.
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he → mean → ?
"It's part of the campaign to undermine confidence in elections, to pave the way for the authoritarianism that these people practice."
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people → undermine → that
Anthony Scaramucci served as Trump's White House communications director for a turbulent 11 days in 2017.
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Scaramucci → serve → 2017
Even though a Civil War-era law from 1865 means it is a crime to bring armed personnel to a polling place, Scaramucci says he fears ICE agents could be deployed during the midterms to intimidate people into staying away.
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agents → mean → people
"Just the notion that you could go to the polling booth, get arrested and/or deported even if you're voting eligible," Scaramucci says.
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Scaramucci → go → booth
"These people are crazy, so they're capable of doing something like that."
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they → do → that
Republicans fear Trump could 'undermine confidence' in elections
In the lead-up to the midterms, Trump has accused his Democratic rivals of cheating and stealing votes, and criticised US elections as "corrupt", "crooked" and "rigged".
His administration has already filed a lawsuit to block certification of the Senate race in Alaska if Republican senator Dan Sullivan loses narrowly.
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Sullivan → fear → Alaska
The lawsuit argues the presence of a second candidate with the same name, who is running as an independent, could confuse voters and siphon away votes from the incumbent.
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who → argue → incumbent
Republican Marc Short says he is disturbed by the president's aggressive language about the midterms and the prospect of federal officers appearing at polling booths.
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officers → say → booths
Short served as Trump's legislative affairs director, and as the chief of staff for then-vice president Mike Pence.
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Short → serve → Pence
"I don't think it's healthy to undermine faith and confidence in our elections," Short says.
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Short → think → elections
"And if we're doing that ourselves, then we're kind of doing the work of our greatest enemies."
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we → do → enemies
Comey says he believes Trump wants to "be the bogeyman, to cast doubt on the elections, to be a shadow in the corner".
"It's all part of trying to freak people out about elections … to frighten us into thinking that our elections are vulnerable," he says.
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he → say → us
A Gallup poll in July found nearly two-in-three US adults were worried about election officials being pressured by politicians to change the results.
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officials → find → results
A Daily Mail/YouGov poll last month (October) revealed just over half of respondents feared Trump would refuse to accept the outcome of the midterms if the Democrats won.
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Democrats → reveal → midterms
John Bolton, who served as Trump's national security advisor from 2018 to 2019, says it's a real possibility.
"For Trump, the world is divided into winners and losers," Bolton says.
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Bolton → serve → winners
Therefore, if he loses, he didn't lose, he was cheated.
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he → lose → ?
…and 15 more, not listed.
The Aporia
