Days before debate with Harris, Trump threatens to jail those who commit electoral fraud

MOSINEE, Wis. (AP) — Days before his first — and likely only — debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Donald Trump took to social media to threaten to jail those “engaged in unscrupulous behavior” in this election, which he said will be under intense scrutiny.

“When I win, those who cheated will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, including lengthy prison sentences so that this perversion of the law never happens again,” Trump wrote, again casting doubt on the integrity of the election, even though cases of voter fraud are extremely rare.

“Please be advised,” he continued, “that this legal exposure includes attorneys, political operatives, donors, illegal voters, and corrupt election officials. Those involved in unscrupulous conduct will be sought, detained, and prosecuted at levels, unfortunately, never before seen in our country.”

Trump’s message represents his latest threat to use the presidency to exact retaliation if he wins a second term. There is no evidence of the kind of fraud Trump continues to insist marred the 2020 election. In fact, dozens of courts, Republican state officials and his own administration have confirmed that Biden legitimately won.

Just a few days ago, Trump himself admitted in a podcast interview that he had indeed “lost by a hair.”

While Trump campaign advisers and allies have urged him to focus on Harris and turn the election into a referendum on issues like inflation and border security, Trump has veered far from that goal in recent days.

On Friday, he made a stunning statement on camera in which he aired a series of past sexual misconduct allegations against him, describing several in graphic detail, even as he denied the accusations by his accusers. He had previously appeared voluntarily in court for a hearing related to his appeal of a decision that found him liable for sexual misconduct, drawing attention to his legal troubles in the final stretch of the campaign.

Earlier Saturday, Trump had again aired his grievances on a range of issues, from the crimes he is accused of to Russian interference in the 2016 election, as he campaigned in one of the most staunchly Republican areas of the political swing state of Wisconsin.

“The Harris-Biden Justice Department is trying to put me in jail — they want me in jail — for the crime of exposing their corruption,” Trump said at an outdoor rally at Wisconsin Central Airport, where he spoke from behind bulletproof glass due to new security protocols put in place following his assassination attempt in July.

There is no evidence that President Joe Biden or Harris influenced the Justice Department’s or prosecutors’ decision to charge the former president.

Trump has eschewed debate preparation in the usual way, opting instead to hold rallies and campaign events, while Harris has remained holed up in a historic downtown Pittsburgh hotel, working with advisers since Thursday.

So far, Harris has agreed to participate in just one debate, which will be hosted by ABC.

At the rally, Trump outlined his plans to “drain the swamp,” recalling his winning message from the 2016 campaign, when he presented himself as an outsider challenging the status quo. Though Trump spent four years in office, he again promised to “drive out the corrupt political class” if he wins again and “significantly trim the fat off our government for the first time in 60 years.”