President Donald Trump and top Republicans are doubling down on unsubstantiated fraud claims in California’s primary elections this month, a dispute that election experts say points to a bigger threat heading into the 2026 midterms than the country faced in 2020.
Trump called the California primary “rigged” on NBC’s Meet the Press on June 7, pointing to the pace of the count and Republican candidates losing ground as mail ballots were tallied. Pressed by host Kristen Welker for evidence, he replied: “All I have to do is look.”
Speaking at a roundtable in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, last Friday, Trump claimed, without evidence, that Democrats were rigging the election: “It’s a crooked state,” he said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles said last Friday that it had opened “multiple election fraud investigations” related to California’s elections and sent a…
PROCUREMENT & EXPENDITURE (STOPPING KICKBACKS)
Procurement fraud usually involves inflated invoices or “fictitious” vendors.
- The Three-Way Match: Never pay an invoice unless you have matched the Purchase Order (PO), the Delivery Note (signed), and the Supplier Invoice.
- Vendor Master File Review: Review your vendor list annually. Look for suppliers with the same bank details or physical addresses as your employees.
- Dual Authorization: Implement a “Two-to-Sign” rule for all EFT payments above a certain threshold (e.g., R5,000).
- No “Cashing” of Checks: If you still use physical checks, strictly prohibit “Cash” as a payee and store blank checks in a dual-lock safe.