SICK!' — Trump Senate Democrat Arrested for Threatening President
DEMOCRAT SENATE CANDIDATE AND ANOTHER SUSPECT ARRESTED IN SEPARATE THREATS AGAINST PRESIDENT TRUMP AND CONGRESS
Federal authorities have arrested two individuals linked to extreme anti-Trump rhetoric, highlighting growing concerns over political violence and threats against the President and members of Congress.
In Pittsburgh, Raymond Chandler, a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, was taken into custody by the FBI and Secret Service after allegedly leaving violent voicemails threatening to kill President Donald Trump and a member of Congress.
According to court documents, Chandler told one lawmaker:
“I want you to put that firearm to the President’s head, and I want you to pull the trigger and I want you to kill him.”
He reportedly described Trump as “a liar among all liars… the antichrist” and made graphic threats about slitting throats due to “wealth concentration.”
Chandler, who posted a YouTube video announcing his 2028 challenge to Sen. John Fetterman, promoted progressive priorities including taxing billionaires, expanding social programs, regulating Big Tech, and abolishing ICE.
The arrest of a political candidate has sent shockwaves through Pennsylvania's political landscape. Federal investigators revealed that Chandler’s rhetoric had been escalating for months across various digital platforms, raising red flags within intelligence agencies. Local democratic leaders immediately distanced themselves from Chandler, swiftly condemning any form of political violence and emphasizing that his radical actions do not reflect the values of the party.
Separately, Cole Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, made his initial appearance in federal court after being charged in connection with an armed attempt to reach President Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Allen faces charges including attempted assassination of the President, discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, and transporting a firearm across state lines.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro stated:
“There will be additional charges as this investigation continues to unfold. But make no mistake, this was an attempted assassination of the President of the United States… This is the kind of situation that we cannot tolerate.”
Law enforcement officials disclosed that Allen was apprehended just outside the venue following a brief confrontation with Secret Service agents. The incident has prompted an immediate, comprehensive review of security protocols for high-profile events in Washington, D.C. Security experts warn that the rise in lone-wolf plots driven by online radicalization poses an ongoing challenge for protective agencies.
The incidents come as President Trump continues to advance his America First agenda amid heightened security concerns. The arrests underscore the administration’s commitment to protecting elected officials and the rule of law against violent threats from political extremists. As both cases move forward in the federal court system, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are calling for a calming of political rhetoric, warning that unchecked hostility poses a direct threat to the nation's democratic institutions.
Nearly 150,000 California Mail Ballots Rejected In Primary
California election officials are examining why nearly 150,000 mail-in ballots were rejected during the state’s June primary, with late-arriving ballots accounting for most of the increase.
The higher rejection rate comes despite years of election law changes designed to make voting more accessible and ensure more ballots are ultimately counted.
According to data compiled by the California Secretary of State’s office, 148,241 mail-in ballots were rejected during the June primary, representing 1.73% of all mail ballots returned.
That marks an increase from the 2024 primary, when 108,982 ballots were rejected, or 1.56% of all mail ballots cast.
The largest reason for rejection was ballots arriving too late to qualify under California law.
State data shows that 93,479 ballots were rejected because they failed to meet the state’s deadline requirements.
California allows mail ballots to arrive up to seven days after Election Day, provided they are postmarked on or before Election Day.
Voting experts believe many of the rejected ballots received postmarks dated after Election Day, making them ineligible to be counted even if they arrived within the seven-day grace period.
Kim Alexander, president of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation, said the timing of postal processing appears to be a significant concern.
“Ballots rejected due to lateness are caused primarily to being postmarked too late to count, not because they arrived too late to count,” Alexander said.
Election experts have questioned whether recent operational changes within the U.S. Postal Service may be contributing to delayed postmarks.
Earlier this year, a group of mostly Democratic U.S. senators wrote to the Postal Service expressing concern that mail-processing changes could affect ballot handling during federal elections.
Updated Postal Service procedures mean postmarks may reflect when mail is processed at regional facilities rather than when it first enters the mail system.
Because processing centers have been consolidated in some areas, election officials have warned that postmark timing could be affected.
Before the June primary, California election officials encouraged voters to mail ballots as early as possible because of potential postal delays.
The June election also featured a highly competitive race for governor, which some experts believe encouraged many voters to wait until the final days before casting ballots.
In addition to late-arriving ballots, approximately 44,000 ballots were rejected because election officials determined the voter’s signature did not match the signature on file.
Another 8,300 ballots were rejected because the return envelope did not contain a signature.
State records also show that 743 ballots were rejected because those voters had already cast another ballot.
Other rejected ballots involved missing ballots inside return envelopes or multiple ballots submitted in a single envelope.
The highest rejection rate in the state occurred in Tulare County, where 3.52% of returned mail ballots were rejected.
Alpine County and Merced County followed closely, each recording rejection rates of 3.36%.
California has frequently faced criticism for taking weeks to complete vote counting after major elections, largely because state law permits ballots meeting certain requirements to continue arriving after Election Day.
Following the June primary, President Donald Trump again criticized California’s election system, while the Department of Justice opened an investigation into election administration in Los Angeles County.
Election experts emphasize that the increase in rejected ballots should not be interpreted as evidence of widespread voter fraud.
A 2025 report by the Brookings Institution found documented cases of mail ballot fraud remained extremely rare, estimating roughly four cases for every 10 million mail ballots cast, The Associated Press reported.
State officials have not identified evidence of widespread fraud connected to the June primary, but the increase in rejected ballots is expected to receive additional scrutiny as election administrators evaluate whether changes in postal operations, voter behavior or election procedures contributed to the higher rejection rate.
