Alarms blare as DHS slips election denier who defended 'QAnon Shaman' onto its payroll
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....