Mr Trump has vowed to jail “cheaters” if he wins this year’s presidential election.
“When I win, those who cheat will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, including long prison sentences, to end this perversion of justice,” former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, said in a social media post on the night of September 7.
He stressed that the scope of prosecution would extend to lawyers, political activists, donors, illegal voters and election officials. “Those who engage in dishonest behavior will be pursued, arrested and prosecuted at a level never seen before in our country,” the former US president added.
Former President Trump at a rally in Mosinee, Wisconsin, on September 7. Photo: AP
Mr Trump has repeatedly made allegations of fraud following his defeat to Democratic candidate Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. The Republican candidate made the comments just days before his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, on September 10.
Many of Mr. Trump’s aides and allies have repeatedly urged the former president to focus on Ms. Harris’s policies, turning the election into a referendum on issues like inflation and border security. But Mr. Trump has continued to indulge in personal attacks.
At a rally in Wisconsin on September 7, the former US president continued to complain about the indictments. “The Biden-Harris Justice Department wants to put me in jail for exposing their wrongdoing,” he said.
However, there is no evidence that President Joe Biden or Vice President Harris intervened or influenced the decision to prosecute Mr. Trump by the US Department of Justice and prosecutors.
The former US president is facing charges of conspiracy to overturn and interfere with the 2020 election. Washington federal judge Tanya Chutkan, who is handling the case related to the effort to overturn the election results, rejected Mr. Trump’s argument early last month that the former president was being prosecuted for revenge and political purposes.