First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli stated on June 7, 2026, that California is obstructing a federal audit of its voter rolls. This announcement followed comments from Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt regarding concerns over the state's vote-counting system. Essayli, who is the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles and has ties to former President Trump, expressed that the Department of Justice has been attempting to audit California's voter rolls for over a year. He emphasized that federal law permits the Attorney General to review state voter files to ensure that only eligible U.S. citizens are voting in federal elections.
On the same day, Essayli mentioned that federal authorities were investigating potential evidence of election fraud in California. However, he later clarified a claim circulating on social media about Pratt not receiving any new votes in a recent update. Pratt expressed his concerns about the vote-counting process on social media as officials continued to tally votes days after the polls closed.
Pratt's lead over Councilwoman Nithya Raman for a spot in the November general election against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass has narrowed as more votes were counted. Following a vote-count update, Pratt fell behind Raman according to the Los Angeles Times.
Former President Trump also commented on California's voting system during an interview on NBC's 'Meet the Press,' expressing frustration over the delay in election results and labeling the elections as 'crooked.' He criticized the current voting process, suggesting that it is inappropriate for results to take several days to finalize. Trump's remarks coincided with the stalled SAVE America Act, which aims to require voters to present photo identification when voting in California.
Essayli pointed out that California allows first-time voters to register using forms of identification that may be surprising to many, including gym membership cards and employer ID cards. He also mentioned an election fraud tipline that has been established for individuals wishing to provide information.
