WASHINGTON, DC - January 6, 2021: Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather on the National Mall for the "Stop the Steal" rally. (Photo credit: Philip Yabut / Shutterstock)
An election-denying conspiracy theorist who apparently drafted a federal threat to withhold funding from states was quietly hired by the Department of Homeland Security.
According to a Friday article by Democracy Docket, a letter from Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin threatening states seems to have been authored by Karen DiSalvo, a Pennsylvania attorney known for election-denial activism. DiSalvo was linked to the letter, which was sent on Monday, through metadata reviewed by Democracy Docket.
The letter warns that states will forfeit DHS grant money unless they perform post-election paper-ballot audits. It came as the Trump administration has been trying to take control of states' election processes ahead of the midterms, including through mail-in ballots and voter roll data.
Federal personnel records place DiSalvo as a senior adviser inside the DHS Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans, according to Democracy Docket. It's the same office where fellow election denier Heather Honey holds a senior election-integrity job. The pair co-founded an anti-voting nonprofit in Pennsylvania, Democracy Docket noted.
DiSalvo has pushed the "TrumpWON" hashtag online and defended Jacob Chansley, the Jan. 6 rioter dubbed the "QAnon Shaman," according to Democracy Docket. Her legal record includes a lawsuit that Pennsylvania officials said sought to disenfranchise tens of thousands of overseas voters, but courts repeatedly threw out those efforts, Democracy Docket reported.
Prominent elections expert David Becker, who leads the Center for Election Innovation & Research, told Democracy Docket that he was alarmed by DiSalvo's hiring.
"The administration dismantled the election cybersecurity expertise built up during the past two administrations, including Trump's first term, and has replaced that expertise and credibility with conspiracy theorists," Becker said. "Election officials of both parties tell me they can no longer trust the federal government as a partner in running secure elections."
DHS told Democracy Docket that it "does not comment on existing personnel."