Florida's Attorney General Pam Bondi is at it again, this time shakedown-style, as she uses her position to extort sensitive voter information from the state of Minnesota. The request was made just two weeks after another Minneapolis resident was killed by federal immigration officers, and came in the form of a demand letter sent to Governor Tim Walz.
While President Donald Trump may claim he won Minnesota three times, it's clear that the Republican administration is using any means necessary to get what they want - including death and fear. The audacity of linking voter roll demands to ICE killings reveals just how far gone this administration is. Bondi's letter claimed that the Justice Department needs to "confirm" that Minnesota's registration system complies with the Civil Rights Act of 1960, a thinly veiled attempt to justify their own actions.
U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez has already recognized the quid pro quo at play, asking during a hearing if the executive is trying to achieve a goal through force that it can't achieve through the courts. The answer, of course, is yes - Bondi's demand for voter rolls has nothing to do with immigration enforcement and everything to do with meddling in elections.
The Somali daycare fraud scandal was a manufactured crisis designed to justify this crackdown, despite being debunked as a baseless claim without evidence linking welfare fraud to voter fraud. The Trump administration's true intentions are clear - they want to build a massive national voter database controlled by the executive branch, which would allow them to cross-reference political participation with immigration data and intimidate communities that already feel targeted.
The effect of such a move would be chilling, and would likely drive down voter participation in immigrant communities. The Trump administration is using every lever of government power in their mission - from routing Social Security data to a group trying to prove election fraud is rampant, to threatening Minnesota's government with a "ransom note" demanding sensitive information.
Minnesota's Democratic Secretary of State Steve Simon has declined to provide the data because he says doing so would violate state and federal privacy laws. But Trump's administration seems impervious to such concerns - they're just testing the boundaries to see what they can get away with ahead of the November midterms. The voter roll demands, mass deportations, attacks on birthright citizenship, purges of federal employees, revenge prosecutions, and efforts to control the media are all part of the same project: MAGA.
In short, Bondi's shakedown exposes just how far gone this administration is - using death and fear as bargaining chips to get what they want, with no regard for democracy or human rights.
While President Donald Trump may claim he won Minnesota three times, it's clear that the Republican administration is using any means necessary to get what they want - including death and fear. The audacity of linking voter roll demands to ICE killings reveals just how far gone this administration is. Bondi's letter claimed that the Justice Department needs to "confirm" that Minnesota's registration system complies with the Civil Rights Act of 1960, a thinly veiled attempt to justify their own actions.
U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez has already recognized the quid pro quo at play, asking during a hearing if the executive is trying to achieve a goal through force that it can't achieve through the courts. The answer, of course, is yes - Bondi's demand for voter rolls has nothing to do with immigration enforcement and everything to do with meddling in elections.
The Somali daycare fraud scandal was a manufactured crisis designed to justify this crackdown, despite being debunked as a baseless claim without evidence linking welfare fraud to voter fraud. The Trump administration's true intentions are clear - they want to build a massive national voter database controlled by the executive branch, which would allow them to cross-reference political participation with immigration data and intimidate communities that already feel targeted.
The effect of such a move would be chilling, and would likely drive down voter participation in immigrant communities. The Trump administration is using every lever of government power in their mission - from routing Social Security data to a group trying to prove election fraud is rampant, to threatening Minnesota's government with a "ransom note" demanding sensitive information.
Minnesota's Democratic Secretary of State Steve Simon has declined to provide the data because he says doing so would violate state and federal privacy laws. But Trump's administration seems impervious to such concerns - they're just testing the boundaries to see what they can get away with ahead of the November midterms. The voter roll demands, mass deportations, attacks on birthright citizenship, purges of federal employees, revenge prosecutions, and efforts to control the media are all part of the same project: MAGA.
In short, Bondi's shakedown exposes just how far gone this administration is - using death and fear as bargaining chips to get what they want, with no regard for democracy or human rights.
This whole thing with Pam Bondi and her voter info demand on Minnesota is lowkey crazy fam 
. Like, I get it, elections matter, but threatening deaths like that? That's just another level of voter suppression. And the fact that they're trying to link it to immigration enforcement? So extra. 
. Like, why do they need that info? What's their endgame? And what about all the debunked claims about Somali daycare fraud? Come on, fam, let's not fall for that 
.
. We can't just roll over and give up our right to vote because some politicians are trying to manipulate the system. That's just not how democracy works, fam 
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This is totally outrageous! 
like, what's next?!?! The whole thing reeks of fear & intimidation - I mean, who tries to bully a governor into giving up people's private info? 
to build this massive national voter database controlled by the executive branch... it's straight up scary 
she's trying to strong-arm minnesota into giving up sensitive voter info, meanwhile trump's team is all about building a massive national voter database that'll let them cross-reference political participation with immigration data and basically intimidate communities that already feel targeted 
. like what's next? using ssn numbers to track ppl's voting history? no thanks 
and btw minnesota's sec of state steve simon is totally right to say he won't give up the info 'cause it'd violate state & federal privacy laws 
. Meanwhile, the real issue is how Trump's admin is using every trick in the book to suppress voter turnout in communities of color 
It's not about "electoral integrity" or "combating voter fraud", it's about exerting control and silencing marginalized voices 
. The only thing that'll stop them is a strong resistance from the people themselves 
. This is getting out of hand with Pam Bondi and the Trump admin trying to strong-arm Minnesota into giving them sensitive voter info 
The fact that they're trying to link this to the Civil Rights Act is just a smokescreen 
.
. Steve Simon making the right call by declining to provide the data because of privacy laws is music to my ears 
. We can't let them bully us into giving up our rights, not even in these crazy times! 
but at the same time she's kinda right that some states can be a bit lax with election security 
meanwhile, i'm also worried about the impact of such demands on immigrant communities – it could drive them away from voting entirely 
The fact that Florida's AG Pam Bondi is trying to strong-arm Minnesota into handing over sensitive voter info just weeks after another Minneapolis resident was killed by federal immigration officers is absolutely outrageous 
.
. This is democracy at its worst, folks