Lawmakers in Connecticut have formally requested U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi investigate the ballot fraud caught on camera in Bridgeport — and whether it is part of a larger pattern of election fraud across the deep Blue state.
“Connecticut has made embarrassing international news for absentee ballot fraud caught on viral video,” state Sen. Rob Sampson of Wolcott and Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding of Brookfield said in joint comments. “Everyone saw it.”
Democratic officials in Bridgeport were charged with approximately 150 election-related criminal charges earlier this month. The most prominent among them, Democratic Party official Wanda Geter-Pataky, was allegedly caught on security cameras stuffing multiple ballots into drop boxes outside city hall during the 2023 mayoral primary between incumbent Joe Ganim and challenger John Gomes.
Four Democrat "leaders" were arrested and charged with election fraud in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
They were caught stuffing ballots into drop boxes.
Well. Well. Well. pic.twitter.com/Ie0hNikuX5— Sara Rose 🇺🇸🌹 (@saras76) June 13, 2024
In their letter to Bondi, Republican leaders asked Trump’s Justice Department to determine whether “election crimes in Bridgeport are part of a larger, coordinated effort to defraud voters statewide.”
The letter was signed by four Republican leaders: House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding, and Government Administration and Elections Committee ranking members Gale Mastrofrancesco and Rob Sampson.
“Such an investigation is critical to restoring public trust in our election system, which has been severely undermined by the scandals in Bridgeport,” the Republicans wrote.
Republicans point Bridgeport City Council member Alfredo Castillo’s statements. as evidence that the problem may be widespread. In an interview with a local news site, Castillo, who was also charged, allegedly claimed he was following Democratic Party orders to “get out the vote.”
“Councilman Castillo’s own words suggest a broader operation at play, involving efforts to benefit high-profile Democratic candidates at the state and federal levels,” Candelora said. “We cannot ignore the possibility that these corrupt practices extend beyond Bridgeport.”
According to arrest warrant affidavits, Castillo is accused of bringing absentee ballot applications to a family’s apartment and instructing them on who to vote for without explaining eligibility requirements.
“Castillo then instructed her on who to select on the ballot, which included the row Alfredo Castillo was listed in,” says the 12-page affidavit. “After the ballots were completed, Castillo then took the ballots and left with Wanda.”
The judge who overturned the 2023 Bridgeport election called videos of ballot handling “shocking” and ruled that the “volume of ballots so mishandled is such that it calls the result of the primary election into serious doubt and leaves the court unable to determine the legitimate result of the primary.”
Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers are criticizing two Democratic-sponsored election reform bills (SB 1515 and SB 1516) as inadequate responses to the scandal. The bills would establish a Municipal Election Accountability Board and expand certain post-election procedures.
“We have Democrats from Bridgeport traveling to the capitol to push for the state and individual campaigns to be removed from the absentee ballot process. Empowering the state government in this area is not the solution,” GOP leaders said. “Connecticut Democrats have shown no appetite for adopting our commonsense reforms.”
House Minority Leader Candelora emphasized that election fraud is a “serious problem” in Democrat-controlled Connecticut.
“Residents know it and so does this nation,” said Candelora. “Until the legislature sends that message, those intent on cheating will always find a way.”
Governor Ned Lamont, a Democrat, has previously downplayed concerns about fraud and early voting systems, stating, “I think it’s people who do the corrupting.”
The Department of Justice has not yet responded to the Republicans’ request for an investigation.