June 24, Kathmandu. U.S. President Donald Trump has acknowledged making a phone call to federal prosecutors in California regarding an investigation into the primary election results there. Speaking at a rally held in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, he claimed—without evidence—that his intervention helped Republican candidate Steve Hilton secure a spot in the runoff for governor.
California’s primary results had already positioned Democratic candidate Xavier Becerra in first place ahead of the November general election, while the results for Trump-backed Hilton were announced only a few days later.
At the rally, President Trump stated that he called the U.S. Attorney for California to urge an investigation on the issue. He took credit for Hilton’s victory, asserting that the lawyers contacted an unknown individual by phone, which enabled Hilton to advance to the runoff. Trump added that about an hour after his call, Hilton was declared the winner, emphasizing that without his call, Hilton would have been left watching the election unfold from home.
While it remains unclear which lawyer Trump contacted, Bill Massey, Senior Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California based in Los Angeles, announced earlier this month that an investigation into allegations of election fraud had been launched. Prior to making these baseless claims that the California gubernatorial race was “rigged,” Trump had made similar remarks regarding the Los Angeles mayoral election. He alleged that the state had wronged Republican candidate Spencer Pratt after Pratt failed to make it to the runoff in the heavily Democratic city in November.
Meanwhile, gubernatorial candidate Hilton has repeatedly clarified that he has seen no evidence of electoral fraud. In an interview with CNN, Hilton stated that although his campaign team and lawyers remain prepared, he sees no grounds to doubt the fairness of the state’s election system. Prosecutor Massey and Hilton’s spokesperson have not yet commented on the matter.
