Spokesperson for Trump — a convicted felon — blasts Tim Walz for 'allowing convicted felons to vote'

06 August 2024

Former President Donald Trump's campaign ended up inadvertently attacking their own candidate in responding to the news of Vice President Kamala Harris picking Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz as her running mate.

Journalist Ashton Pittman posted a statement from Trump 2024 press secretary Karoline Leavitt to the social media platform Bluesky attacking Walz for his "radical" record. Notably, the Trump campaign attacked the presumptive 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee for restoring voting rights for convicted felons. This is particularly ironic, given that Trump himself was found guilty of 34 felonies in Manhattan during his hush money cover-up trial.

"It's no surprise that San Francisco liberal Kamala Harris wants West Coast wannabe Tim Walz as her running mate — Walz has spent his governorship trying to reshape Minnesota in the image of the Golden State," Leavitt stated. "From proposing his own carbon-free agenda, to suggesting stricter emission standards for gas-powered cars, and embracing policies that allow convicted felons to vote, Walz is obsessed with spreading California's dangerously liberal far and wide."

The Trump campaign may not have only failed to account for their candidate's 34 class E felony convictions for falsifying business records, but also for the popularity of restoring voting rights for formerly incarcerated felons who have served their time. In 2023, the Associated Press (AP) reported on Walz's signing of a bill allowing felons to have their voting rights automatically restored following their release from prison.

"Restoring voting rights really is an issue where we’ve seen bipartisan momentum," the Brennan Center's Patrick Berry told the AP last year.

According to the Brennan Center, 23 states now allow convicted felons to vote after they serve their sentences. Another 14 states allow felons to vote after completing their sentences, provided they also follow through with completion of parole and probation. The latter group includes Republican-dominated states like Alaska, Georgia, Nebraska, Texas and West Virginia, among others.

"State felony disenfranchisement laws keep millions of Americans from voting. These laws aren’t just antidemocratic — they send the message that the voices of individuals returning to their communities don’t count," the Brennan Center wrote on its website. "And these voting bans disproportionately affect Black Americans."

Trump's adopted home state of Florida is notably one of the few states that make it effectively impossible for convicted felons to vote. In 2018, residents of the Sunshine State passed Question 4, which amends the Florida constitution to allow for convicted felons to have their voting rights restored. But the Republican-controlled Florida legislature undermined that amendment by passing a law that first requires felons to pay all fines, fees and court costs — including costly restitution penalties — before they can cast a ballot.

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has said he would make sure the former president can vote in November despite his 34 felony convictions.

"Given the absurd nature of the New York prosecution of Trump, this would be an easy case to qualify for restoration of rights per the Florida Clemency Board, which I chair," DeSantis tweeted after Trump was convicted.

Even though Trump will be able to vote in Florida, he can no longer carry firearms as a convicted felon. The New York Police Department announced in June it would be seizing Trump's two handguns and revoking his concealed carry license after a jury unanimously handed down a guilty verdict — the first ever for a former president of the United States.

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