Former President Donald Trump said those who commit voter fraud in this year's election "will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law" after he returns to the White House.
Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, opposes Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democrat nominee, in the Nov. 5 election to decide who will be sworn in as the country's next president in January.
The former president, who has alleged that President Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election was due to voter fraud in several battleground states, said he and many others will closely watch this year's election.
"CEASE & DESIST: I, together with many Attorneys and Legal Scholars, am watching the Sanctity of the 2024 Presidential Election very closely because I know, better than most, the rampant Cheating and Skullduggery that has taken place by the Democrats in the 2020 Presidential Election," Trump posted Tuesday on Truth Social.
"It was a Disgrace to our Nation! Therefore, the 2024 Election, where Votes have just started being cast, will be under the closest professional scrutiny and, WHEN I WIN, those people that CHEATED will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law, which will include long term prison sentences so that this Depravity of Justice does not happen again.”
Trump added: "We cannot let our Country further devolve into a Third World Nation, AND WE WON'T! Please beware that this legal exposure extends to Lawyers, Political Operatives, Donors, Illegal Voters, & Corrupt Election Officials. Those involved in unscrupulous behavior will be sought out, caught, and prosecuted at levels, unfortunately, never seen before in our Country."
The first mail ballots of the general election were sent out Wednesday, the day after a debate between Trump and Harris. Early in-person voting will start as soon as Friday in some states.
The first batch of ballots typically sent out are ones to military and overseas voters. Under federal law, that must happen at least 45 days before an election, which this year is Sept. 21.
State and local election officials have warned that problems with the nation's mail delivery system threaten to disenfranchise voters in the upcoming presidential election, telling the head of the U.S. Postal Service that it hasn't fixed persistent deficiencies.
The Associated Press contributed this story.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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