Bill Essayli has launched a crusade against ‘voter fraud’, in his latest push to pursue Maga-aligned cases

Since he was sworn in last year, Bill Essayli, the top US prosecutor in southern California, has devoted his office to Donald Trump’s agenda – bringing splashy cases against sanctuary policies, protesters and the rights of young trans athletes.

But Essayli’s latest crusade has significantly raised the stakes of his partisan remaking of one of the country’s largest US attorney’s offices: he is fighting to block thousands of votes from being counted in the upcoming midterms.

In the weeks leading up to the high-stakes election, Essayli has sued California to try to force the state to set aside ballots from 20,000 voters whom the Department of Justice (DoJ) contends “are likely noncitizens”, demanding the state verify their eligibility before counting their votes. State election officials say the DoJ’s data is unreliable and its demands logistically impossible. They also argue that the federal government is risking disenfranchising US citizens and undermining the integrity of the results.