Acting DHS Sec. Chad Wolf Bucks Trump: We Have No Authority To Send Federal Agents To Polling Stations

The Hill reports:

Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said Sunday that DHS has no authority to send federal agents to oversee polling locations in November, despite President Trump’s vow to have a federal law enforcement presence at the polls on Election Day.

“That’s not what we do at the Department of Homeland Security,” Wolf said on CNN’s “State of the Union” when asked about Trump’s comments. “We have law enforcement authorities and law enforcement officers at the department. We have express authorities given to us by Congress and this is not one of them.”

“This is not a mission for the Department of Homeland Security,” Wolf added, noting that he has not had any discussions with Trump about sending federal agents to polling sites.

Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf says the President has not discussed deploying law enforcement agents from his department to polling locations. “That’s not what we do at the Department of Homeland Security.” #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/VLeWzOv2Of

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) August 23, 2020

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf responds to watchdog reports that he was not appointed legally: “They have no authority in this area. … We vehemently disagree with what the GAO put out” #CNNSOTU https://t.co/Lgvc6X2qE0 pic.twitter.com/sTjTtBU5Tm

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) August 23, 2020