Democrat governor DEFIES DOJ investigation into noncitizen voting — DOJ vows to press on

The Department of Justice has announced an investigation into noncitizen voting in New Jersey, but the state's Democratic governor is resisting the probe.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) admitted on July 21 that about 6,600 noncitizens had been mistakenly registered to vote, and of those, about 400 cast votes.

'NJ has a legal duty to keep ineligible voters off its rolls ... DOJ will get this information through all legal means!'

She blamed the wrongful registrations on a "software error," though the company working with the Motor Vehicle Commission countered that all the information it transmits "must still be validated and adjudicated by the Division of Elections."

The Department of Justice responded by demanding that the governor hand over a list of those voters, but Sherrill has rejected the order.

"Today, I informed [Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon] that New Jersey will not provide the personal information of thousands of New Jersey residents. The request had no legal basis, and I will always protect New Jerseyans' personally identifiable information," Sherrill wrote on social media Tuesday.

She posted her letter response, which claimed that the request violated federal laws, including the Privacy Act.

On Wednesday, Dhillon fired back.

"Gov. Sherrill’s refusal to cooperate with federal law enforcement does nothing to protect law-abiding NJ voters," she responded on social media. "NJ has a legal duty to keep ineligible voters off its rolls, & our request is grounded in that legal authority. DOJ will get this information through all legal means!"

Sherrill had accused the Trump administration of weaponizing the government when asked if she would comply with the demand from the Justice Department.

"As I have said, I am not in the habit of turning over private, identifying information of the citizens of New Jersey," said the governor to a reporter. "This federal government is weaponizing the government against individuals that disagree with them. They weaponized my private data against me in my election, and so I am working to protect people and their private data here in New Jersey."

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Sherrill previously said the 400 noncitizens who voted were scattered across the state and were a mix of Republicans, Democrats, and unaffiliated.

She also said they were immediately taken off of the voter rolls as soon as her administration discovered the error, which she claims was made under her predecessor.