NEWS AND OPINION:

The chairman of the Republican National Committee has confirmed that illegal immigrants are now registering to vote in the presidential election.

Here’s how the conversation went between Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” anchor Maria Bartiromo and Rep. Michael Whatley, North Carolina Republican and also RNC chairman.

“Reps. Claudia Tenney of New York and Bryan Steil of Wisconsin say there are illegals registered right now to vote in this presidential election,” Ms. Bartiromo said.

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Mr. Whatley replied in agreement.

“Yes, it’s a huge problem that we’re fighting in every single state right now. We have filed over 100 lawsuits to try and make sure that we have election integrity across the country. We want to get the basics of election law right. Only American citizens can vote. You have to have a voter ID. States need to clean up their voter rolls,” he said.

“And if you have mail-in voting, then we want basic safeguards put in place, like you must have a signature. You must have a witness. We want those in the mailboxes, not the drop boxes. And you have to have them in by Election Day. When we get the rules of the road in place right away before the voting starts, it’s going to make a tremendous difference,” the lawmaker continued.

Ms. Bartiromo continued the discussion.

“There are plenty of states that say ’no voter I.D.’ ’Do not bring your I.D. when you come to vote,’ say a lot of Democrat states. And then you also have Merrick Garland, the attorney general, saying that he will vow to stop any voter I.D. efforts. What’s wrong with having an I.D. to vote? And tell me about this last lawsuit that you just filed against the White House for doing just that?” she asked.

Mr. Whatley said the RNC wants to “make sure that we have that in place. We’re going to go aggressively to file it. The fact is, you have to have an I.D. to go to Kamala Harris’ rallies. You have to have an I.D. when you go to pick up a prescription or fly on an airplane. You should have an I.D. when you go to vote.”

FOR THE LEXICON

Axios is citing the existence of a “Trump Slump” at the moment.

“Don’t buy the public bravado. President Trump’s advisers are deeply rattled by his meandering, mean and often middling public performances since the failed assassination attempt,” Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei, the co-founders of Axios, wrote in a report released Sunday

Time remains a factor, however. As of Monday, there are still 87 days to go before election day dawns on Nov. 5. Things can change.

GRANITE STATE GOES DIGITAL

The New Hampshire Republican Party is going the extra mile to ensure that GOP voters are ready to roll as the presidential election approaches.

The local GOP has organized five evenings of “free digital activism training” for local Republicans in Manchester beginning Monday, conducted by Manchester-based Liberty Digital Marketing.

“Our Digital Activism class will help you avoid costly mistakes, save you time and money, and grow your online reach. You’ll quickly get up to speed on the latest digital marketing strategies, tactics, and technologies and learn how to apply them to your campaign,” the marketing firm said in a statement.

The 90-minute sessions begin with a basic introduction to digital activism itself, followed by “Content Essentials” on Tuesday, “AI Demystified” on Wednesday, “Infrastructure and Advertising, Part 1” on Thursday and “Advertising Part 2” on Friday. It’s kind of a family affair, in one respect, however.

“Free dinner provided,” the GOP advises.

MEANWHILE IN TEXAS

The Lone Star State has news of note.

“Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order directing the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to collect information on illegal immigrants who use Texas public hospitals for inpatient and emergency care and to report incurred healthcare costs due to the Biden-Harris Administration’s reckless open border policies. HHSC will also be required to report annually to the Governor and Texas Legislature all inpatient and emergency care costs for illegal immigrants so the State of Texas can seek reimbursement from the federal government,” noted the governor’s office in a written advisory released Friday.


“Due to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ open border policies, Texas has had to foot the bill for medical costs for individuals illegally in the state,” said Mr. Abbott himself, also in a written statement

“Texans should not have to shoulder the burden of financially supporting medical care for illegal immigrants. That is why today I issued an Executive Order requiring the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to collect and report healthcare costs for illegal immigrants in our state. Texas will hold the Biden-Harris Administration accountable for the consequences of their open border policies, and we will fight to ensure that they pay back Texas for their costly and dangerous policies,” he said.

At the governor’s request, HHSC will direct hospitals and other providers to collect information regarding the cost of medical care provided to illegal immigrants beginning November 1. Initial submissions will be due by March 1, 2025.

POLL DU JOUR

• 27% of registered U.S. voters say the most important quality in a presidential candidate is being “honest and trustworthy.”

• 20% say the most important quality is being a “strong leader.”

• 20% say the most important quality is being “close to them on the issues.”

• 16% say the most important quality is that a candidate “share their values.”

• 12% say the most important quality is that a candidate “will bring about change.”

• 4% say the most important quality is a candidate’s “experience.”

• 1% are unsure.

SOURCE: An NPR/PBS/Marist University poll of 1,513 registered voters conducted Aug. 1-4 and released Thursday.

• Contact Jennifer Harper at jharper@washingtontimes.com.