Donald Trump has been so adamant about the perceived dangers of mail-in voting that he even got hit with a Twitter fact-check for spreading conspiracy theories and misinformation ahead of the 2020 election, a practice Twitter had vowed to curb on their platform. He has insisted that Democrats will use the mail-in ballots to cast illegal votes, cheating him out of a second term. On Tuesday, a member of Trump’s own party proved that it isn’t the Left Trump needed to worry about.
Kansas Congressman Steve Watkins (R) charged with 3 felonies, including:
-Voting without being qualified
-Unlawful advance votinghttps://t.co/bkjCxWhBSX— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) July 14, 2020
Rep. Steve Watkins (R-KS) was charged with three felonies and a misdemeanor – interference with law enforcement by providing false information, voting without being qualified, unlawful advance voting, and failing to notify the DMV of change of address – because he attempted to vote illegally.
According to KSNT, an NBC affiliate in Topeka, Kansas:
‘Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay announced Tuesday he’s filed criminal charges against Kansas Rep. Steve Watkins. This follows an investigation by the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office. Kagay took over the investigation in April. Watkins came under investigation by the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office after allegations that he listed a Topeka UPS store for his address when voting in the 2019 general election.’
GOP Rep. Steve Watkins of #KS02 has been charged with 4 counts of voter fraud: “Interference with Law Enforcement, Providing False Information; Voting without being Qualified; Unlawful Advance Voting; and Failing to Notify the DMV of Change of Address” https://t.co/akcbHIDMDA
— Grace Panetta (@grace_panetta) July 14, 2020
The charges are related to Watkins’ votes in 2019, and an investigation has been ongoing but slow. Watkins joins the group of nearly zero people who have attempted to cast illegal ballots in recent years and it should be noted before the story is used to prove that illegal voting will happen in November 2020 that he got caught. It didn’t work.
‘The investigation was delayed significantly due to the coronavirus shutdown, Kagay said. But his office maintained constant contact with the sheriff’s office and received regular updates on the gathering of documents and statements.’
We are just hearing that Rep. Steve Watkins has been charged with 3 felonies. Watkins is expected to be in our KSNT studio within the next 30 minutes for our scheduled debate. Not sure if he will show now. #ksleg https://t.co/AdwOTgVuD4
— Korinne Griffith (@KorinneGriffith) July 14, 2020
Watkins is not a nationally-known congressman, but was well-received by Trump supporters in 2018 when he gave a speech welcoming Donald Trump at one of his rallies.
KSHB in Kansas City reports that:
‘Watkins serves as representative for Kansas’ 2nd Congressional District, which includes Topeka, Lawrence, Atchison and other parts of easteran Kansas outside the Kansas City area.’
🔥Kansas Republican Congressman Steve Watkins facing 3 felony charges for voting irregularities 👇 https://t.co/FBXdgZVM3P
— Venture Capital (@kelly2277) July 14, 2020
Featured image screenshot via YouTube
