President Donald Trump issued several directives to executive agencies during a primetime address on Thursday, focusing on election security and voter eligibility. These orders come as the SAVE America Act, the president's preferred election legislation, remains stalled in Congress. Trump stated that he is directing the Department of Justice, FBI, and CIA to investigate claims that intelligence regarding Chinese influence in U.S. elections was withheld from his daily briefings.
The president also requested that the FBI and DOJ revive an investigation into GBI Strategies, a firm involved in 2020 Michigan voter registration efforts. While Michigan election officials previously stated that irregularities in that case did not result in illegal votes, Trump called for the prosecution of those involved. Additionally, Trump ordered the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to cross-reference state voter rolls with federal records to identify noncitizens. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated Friday that state officials could face prosecution if they do not remove ineligible names.
Election officials have questioned the DHS data, suggesting the 278,000 flagged names may be an overcount. In his speech, Trump further announced that DHS would work with local jurisdictions to identify and patch technical vulnerabilities in voting infrastructure ahead of the midterm elections. While the president described these executive actions as necessary for security, he noted they were meant to complement the passage of the SAVE America Act.