Philadelphia's District Attorney warns 'lawless, power-hungry despot' Trump that if he sends 'goon squads' or the Proud Boys to the city to watch the polls: 'I've got something for you’
Philadelphia's District Attorney has warned 'lawless, power-hungry despot' Donald Trump not to send his 'goon squads' or the Proud Boys to the city to watch the polls.
Larry Krasner threatened the president that if he sent any 'uncertified poll watchers' to the birthplace of American democracy: 'I've got something for you.'
It comes after the Trump administration last month lost a legal bid to force the city to allow its representatives to monitor satellite election offices used for registering voters and processing mail-in ballots.
'The Trump Administration's efforts to suppress votes amid a global pandemic fueled by their disregard for human life will not be tolerated in the birthplace of American democracy.' Krasner said in a statement.
Larry Krasner threatened the president that if he sent any 'uncertified poll watchers' to the birthplace of American democracy: 'I've got something for you'
A polling booth during early voting in Maryland earlier this week
'The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office continues to work with our partners in law enforcement and government to ensure every voter gets to vote and that every vote is counted.
'Keep your Proud Boys, goon squads, and uncertified "poll watchers" out of our city, Mr. President. Break the law here, and I've got something for you.'
It comes after President Trump condemned nights of rioting in the city following the death of a 27-year-old black man armed with a knife who was shot dead by police on Monday.
Trump called it a 'terrible event' and claimed that his Democratic rival Joe Biden supported the looters and rioters.
But Krasner's statement said it was the president who was cynically fanning the flames so that he could remain in the White House.
'Philadelphians are grieving the fatal shooting by police of a black man who appeared to be in mental health crisis.' Krasner said.
'Instead of working with cities and states to improve accountability and efficacy in policing, instead of supporting and strengthening Black communities, the Trump Administration seeks to throw gasoline on a long-burning fire in order to provoke further unrest and violence ahead of an election he is terrified to lose.'
A man confronts police during riots over the shooting of Walter Wallace on Monday
A police officer, covered in blood, holds a baton among a group of police in Philadelphia during the second night BLM protests on Tuesday
Rioters rush down a West Philadelphia street on Tuesday night
It comes as Pennsylvania, Biden's home state, is one of the key battlegrounds in the tightly-fought election - now less than a week away.
Biden is leading Trump by 3.8 points in the Real Clear Politics polling average. But the president has gained ground in recent days and the bookmakers' odds have been slashed.
Trump claims he can only lose the state if Democrats cheat and, as he did in 2016′s campaign, suggests that the Democratic bastion of Philadelphia needs to be watched closely for election fraud.
Democrats accuse Trump of trying to scuttle some of the 3 million or more mail-in votes that are expected in the November 3 election in Pennsylvania, with Democrats applying for mail-in ballots by an almost three-to-one rate over Republicans.