Donald Trump told us he wants Republicans to "take over the voting in at least 15 places" — and that he "should have" seized ballots and voting equipment after the 2020 election. Now, he is making good on those threats.

Less than two months after the FBI raided Fulton County's Election Center, Trump's Department of Justice has turned on a second target: Maricopa County. The move follows a familiar script.

Yesterday, Warren Petersen — the GOP president of the state Senate — announced that he had complied with an FBI subpoena, turning over records related to the 2020 election. "The FBI has the records," he announced ominously on social media. Only hours earlier, Trump had shared news of the seizure on Truth Social, calling it "Great!!!"

Trump didn't choose to target Maricopa County at random. Arizona's largest county is at the center of 2020 election conspiracies. False claims of fraud led to a nonsensical legislative audit.

Secretary of State Adrian Fontes described it on my podcast as a self-sustaining "grift, fueled by conspiracy theories." That audit has been public record for years, making the FBI's subpoena not just unnecessary, but telling.

There is absolutely no legal reason for the FBI to subpoena these records. But that is not the concern of Trump or his Department of Justice. They have only one goal for this seizure: to help Donald Trump.

Those of you who follow my writing know I warned that Trump was raising the stakes, that Republicans were willing to help, and that he was telegraphing a playbook to steal the 2026 elections. 

That moment has arrived. Trump is no longer telling us his plan; he is enacting it.

Trump wanted to take over voting in at least 15 places. He previously said it might include Detroit and Philadelphia. We now know to add Atlanta and Phoenix to that list.

In Fulton County, the FBI raided the election center. Yes, they want to continue the Big Lie from 2020, but equally important, it was a dry run for 2026. 

That raid handed Trump thousands of election records. With those documents in hand, the false claims of fraud will grow louder. A fake justification for federal authority over elections will be conjured out of thin air.

In Arizona, the story is similar. The FBI's subpoena for Maricopa County election records is intended to signal that a criminal investigation of the 2020 results is ongoing. 

The goal, once again, is to gain knowledge for future actions while sowing doubt about the integrity of our elections. As in Georgia, Trump will use this investigation to demand further power over Arizona's elections, just in time for 2026.

And this is only the beginning. At least 13 more states are on Trump's list. The most obvious targets are those that delivered the election to Joe Biden — Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Wisconsin — but the reach extends further. 

In blue states, cities like New York and Chicago are vulnerable. In Republican-controlled states, cities like Houston, Jacksonville and Columbus — where urban voters can decide statewide outcomes — are equally at risk.

Trump's war on the 2026 elections is only getting started. 

He has already issued executive orders that have been blocked. His DOJ's efforts to secure access to sensitive voter data have been mired in court defeats. Now, he is threatening congressional leaders if they don't enact his mass voter-suppression law. 

But if those efforts fail, he will want the option to simply seize the ballots and declare the winners. That is why what is happening in Fulton County and Maricopa County is so important. These actions are not just about relitigating the past — they are about subverting the future.

The good news is that there is still time to stop this assault on our democracy, and we know how to do it. 

Elected officials must stand firm against voter-suppression laws. Blue states must harden their defenses. Democratic campaigns and committees must treat these threats with the same urgency as any advertising or turnout battle. The legal community must be ready to fight on multiple fronts at once. And the media must stop treating this as ordinary partisan politics — it is an authoritarian power grab, and it should be covered as such.

When our democracy hangs by a thread, and our elections are on the line, we cannot afford to operate as if the same rulebook still applies. The FBI and DOJ are no longer independent institutions; they operate to advance Trump's partisan agenda.

I am preparing for the fight ahead. Trump has built an army and weaponized the justice system to secure his power. We are not too late — but the time to stop him is now.

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