Politico Reporter Sounds Alarm on ‘a Lot of White Folks from the Suburbs’ Becoming Poll Workers to Target ‘Heavily Minority Districts’

VELSHI But as the ░░░░░░░░ 6 panel moves into ░░░░░░░░ public hearing phase of ░░░░░░░░ work now the Republican ░░░░░░░░ has already been laying ░░░░░░░░ the groundwork to subvert ░░░░░░░░ elections It s already ░░░░░░░░ which means we are ░░░░░░░░ than halfway through a ░░░░░░░░ election year In five ░░░░░░░░ a new slate of ░░░░░░░░ senators and House members ░░░░░░░░ be voted into office ░░░░░░░░ as we approach Election ░░░░░░░░ there s cause for ░░░░░░░░ that bad actors could ░░░░░░░░ the integrity of the ░░░░░░░░ and the will of ░░░░░░░░ people Heidi Przybyla reporting ░░░░░░░░ Politico recently obtained recordings ░░░░░░░░ Republican Party operatives coordinating ░░░░░░░░ grassroots activists to develop ░░░░░░░░ strategy that will allow ░░░░░░░░ GOP to challenge election ░░░░░░░░ and possibly overturn the ░░░░░░░░ in Democratic districts One ░░░░░░░░ would involve recruiting and ░░░░░░░░ Republican Party members as ░░░░░░░░ workers who would monitor ░░░░░░░░ results and report back ░░░░░░░░ issues to GOP attorneys ░░░░░░░░ could then challenge the ░░░░░░░░ Clip starts SEIFRIED We ░░░░░░░░ trying to recruit truly ░░░░░░░░ s going to be ░░░░░░░░ army right We are ░░░░░░░░ to try to recruit ░░░░░░░░ we are going to ░░░░░░░░ more lawyers than we ░░░░░░░░ ever recruited Because let ░░░░░░░░ be honest that s ░░░░░░░░ it s going to ░░░░░░░░ fought right Clip ends ░░░░░░░░ That was the voice ░░░░░░░░ Matthew Seifried the Republican ░░░░░░░░ s national committee s ░░░░░░░░ integrity director for Michigan ░░░░░░░░ tapes again were obtained ░░░░░░░░ Heidi Przybyla reporting for ░░░░░░░░ We ve not independently ░░░░░░░░ them at NBC News ░░░░░░░░ these tapes show once ░░░░░░░░ Republicans saying the quiet ░░░░░░░░ out loud The effort ░░░░░░░░ overturn the 2020 election ░░░░░░░░ just a trial run ░░░░░░░░ GOP has identified weaknesses ░░░░░░░░ our electoral system and ░░░░░░░░ are seeking to exploit ░░░░░░░░ soon as this November ░░░░░░░░ happened in 2020 was ░░░░░░░░ effort to delegitimize a ░░░░░░░░ election And it appears ░░░░░░░░ the electoral strategy that ░░░░░░░░ Republican Party is sticking ░░░░░░░░ for the near future ░░░░░░░░ its part the RNC ░░░░░░░░ it s following precedent ░░░░░░░░ law and best practices ░░░░░░░░ this strategy Joining me ░░░░░░░░ is Heidi Przybyla I ░░░░░░░░ sure you know her ░░░░░░░░ from her time here ░░░░░░░░ NBC News She is ░░░░░░░░ veteran Washington journalist and ░░░░░░░░ reporter behind that Politico ░░░░░░░░ about the GOP s ░░░░░░░░ to install poll workers ░░░░░░░░ voting precincts this November ░░░░░░░░ good to see you ░░░░░░░░ old friend Thank you ░░░░░░░░ this great reporting It ░░░░░░░░ alarming insofar as the ░░░░░░░░ at the state level ░░░░░░░░ Michigan but elsewhere has ░░░░░░░░ this effort to undermine ░░░░░░░░ through these various mechanisms ░░░░░░░░ are looking for a ░░░░░░░░ to a problem that ░░░░░░░░ t exist PRZYBYLA Yeah ░░░░░░░░ I consulted a number ░░░░░░░░ election law experts on ░░░░░░░░ and they all say ░░░░░░░░ s unprecedented because what ░░░░░░░░ have here is not ░░░░░░░░ a political party recruiting ░░░░░░░░ folks who are supposed ░░░░░░░░ be the nonpartisan election ░░░░░░░░ to administer our elections ░░░░░░░░ also training them Setting ░░░░░░░░ workshops and specifically how ░░░░░░░░ contest votes And equipping ░░░░░░░░ with the tools to ░░░░░░░░ so Including a hotline ░░░░░░░░ would connect them while ░░░░░░░░ are in those halls ░░░░░░░░ roving party attorneys as ░░░░░░░░ as a website Ali ░░░░░░░░ it s not always ░░░░░░░░ to use a cell ░░░░░░░░ when you are inside ░░░░░░░░ election administration center And ░░░░░░░░ important part about this ░░░░░░░░ Ali is in all ░░░░░░░░ the hours of tapes ░░░░░░░░ I listened to I ░░░░░░░░ to a person all ░░░░░░░░ these individuals talking about ░░░░░░░░ there was fraud in ░░░░░░░░ 2020 election and that ░░░░░░░░ intent here is to ░░░░░░░░ that fraud from happening ░░░░░░░░ And some of the ░░░░░░░░ that they re aligned ░░░░░░░░ or the places where ░░░░░░░░ are recruiting these folks ░░░░░░░░ really the hardcore MAGA ░░░░░░░░ who really believe that ░░░░░░░░ occurred and they are ░░░░░░░░ targeting Ali Democratic minority ░░░░░░░░ So what you are ░░░░░░░░ to see here visually ░░░░░░░░ a lot of white ░░░░░░░░ from the suburbs coming ░░░░░░░░ and trying to administer ░░░░░░░░ actually having these official ░░░░░░░░ administering elections in these ░░░░░░░░ minority districts where we ░░░░░░░░ saw for instance in ░░░░░░░░ in 2020 that was ░░░░░░░░ one of the hotspots ░░░░░░░░ there was a lot ░░░░░░░░ election challengers who are ░░░░░░░░ the outside trying to ░░░░░░░░ chaos This time it ░░░░░░░░ potentially be on the ░░░░░░░░ Ali VELSHI So the ░░░░░░░░ here is that what ░░░░░░░░ lot of people think ░░░░░░░░ saw in the 2020 ░░░░░░░░ and in the January ░░░░░░░░ stuff was a national ░░░░░░░░ statewide strategy to subvert ░░░░░░░░ election But what you ░░░░░░░░ reporting on and it ░░░░░░░░ uniquely important in a ░░░░░░░░ like Michigan but also ░░░░░░░░ Wisconsin Arizona Georgia and ░░░░░░░░ is this precinct level ░░░░░░░░ It is not just ░░░░░░░░ state level voting I ░░░░░░░░ changes and mail in ░░░░░░░░ it s precinct level ░░░░░░░░ Tell me why that ░░░░░░░░ important for our viewers ░░░░░░░░ understand PRZYBYLA This is ░░░░░░░░ entire architecture Steve Bannon ░░░░░░░░ been talking about this ░░░░░░░░ months on his podcast ░░░░░░░░ he wants MAGA loyalists ░░░░░░░░ become the worker bees ░░░░░░░░ the election system So ░░░░░░░░ you would have here ░░░░░░░░ this happening in a ░░░░░░░░ of states battleground states ░░░░░░░░ based on my reporting ░░░░░░░░ Michigan I can only ░░░░░░░░ for what is happening ░░░░░░░░ Michigan there was also ░░░░░░░░ of creating a nationwide ░░░░░░░░ attorney network of friendly ░░░░░░░░ attorneys who then could ░░░░░░░░ contacted and pulled into ░░░░░░░░ as well Ali as ░░░░░░░░ enforcement Now one of ░░░░░░░░ most recent recordings that ░░░░░░░░ heard was from this ░░░░░░░░ of a former state ░░░░░░░░ in Michigan who participated ░░░░░░░░ one of these summits ░░░░░░░░ about how law enforcement ░░░░░░░░ doesn t understand because ░░░░░░░░ last time they kicked ░░░░░░░░ out when we were ░░░░░░░░ to contest votes in ░░░░░░░░ and this time we ░░░░░░░░ reaching out proactively in ░░░░░░░░ so we can educate ░░░░░░░░ enforcement about voter fraud ░░░░░░░░ course I never heard ░░░░░░░░ these tapes Ali anyone ░░░░░░░░ about the fact that ░░░░░░░░ had been over 250 ░░░░░░░░ in the state of ░░░░░░░░ as well as a ░░░░░░░░ report by the Republican ░░░░░░░░ Senate committee oversight committee ░░░░░░░░ found there was no ░░░░░░░░ of widespread fraud and ░░░░░░░░ fact the individuals who ░░░░░░░░ that should be investigated ░░░░░░░░ trying to further their ░░░░░░░░ political interests VELSHI Yeah ░░░░░░░░ had a uniquely safe ░░░░░░░░ and a secretary of ░░░░░░░░ who takes election safety ░░░░░░░░ integrity even though that ░░░░░░░░ become a weird buzzword ░░░░░░░░ very seriously Heidi great ░░░░░░░░ see you my friend ░░░░░░░░ you for joining us ░░░░░░░░ morning, Heidi Przybyla.”