The Peacock Network presented as a news report an item demonizing those who caution against illegal aliens voting, while simultaneously admitting that illegal aliens vote. This report is another instance of the Regime Media holding off on reporting something inconvenient until it can be made into a Trump-adverse story.
The report has to be seen in its entirety in order to be believed (click “expand” to view full transcript):
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS
9/12/24
6:42 PM
LESTER HOLT: And there is another controversial claim often heard from the right that undocumented immigrants are voting in America’s elections. But is there any evidence to back it up? Julia Ainsley with our VoteWatch report.
(TRUMP/HARRIS CROSSTALK)
JULIA AINSLEY: On the debate stage…
DONALD TRUMP: A lot of these illegal immigrants coming in, they’re trying to get them to vote.
AINSLEY: And at campaign stops across the country…
TRUMP: They’re not citizens. They’re not allowed to do it. It’s illegal as hell.
AINSLEY: Former President Trump frequently repeats false claims about migrants voting.
TRUMP: They can’t speak a word of English, for the most part but they’re signing them up.
AINSLEY: That’s not true. It’s illegal for non-U.S. citizens to vote for president or in any federal election. And there have been few recorded incidents of noncitizens trying to vote illegally. There’s also no evidence of anyone trying to get undocumented migrants to vote, according to experts. Those 17 different cities and towns allow people who are not U.S. citizens to vote locally, including in D.C. where noncitizens, even those here illegally, can vote in local elections.
Here at this voter registration fair in D.C., any D.C. resident can register to vote, even if they’re not an American citizen. But when they get to the polls, they’ll be given a different ballot, like this one, that only lists local candidates for positions like the school board and city council.
NONCITIZEN VOTER: I do not have a driving license or a social security.
CHARLES ALLEN: We changed the law to make sure that all local residents are able to have a vote and have a say in their government and in the decisions they make.
AINSLEY: Charles Allen is on the D.C. City Council.
Could you be registered in, say, another country and vote here?
ALLEN: You would have to be a resident here and claim residency here for more than 30 days. So, we’ve seen hypotheticals where people throw things like that out and they just don’t happen.
AINSLEY: The state of Texas says it’s found almost 2,000 noncitizens who have previously voted. But it’s unclear if they’ve been charged. And liberal advocacy groups question the claims. Still, the laws allowing noncitizens to vote locally have sparked backlash across the country and fueled Trump’s claim of widespread migrant voting, which have been echoed by Elon Musk and conservative media hosts, and inspired a bill that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote.
RICK SCOTT: If you’ve seen the form, you just check a box. So, noncitizens are on voter rolls.
AINSLEY: The right to vote, now under an even sharper spotlight as the election looms. Julia Ainsley, NBC News, Washington.
The practice of holding off on a story until it can be covered in a Trump-adverse manner is quite commonplace within the Regime Media. For NBC to consider doing this here is absolutely wild.
After rattling off video of Trump denouncing illegal alien voting at the presidential debate, Ainsley springs into firefighting action, saying that it is “not true” that illegals vote in federal elections, and that “experts” say there is no evidence of efforts to get illegals to vote in these elections.
In order to make her point, Ainsley walks viewers through voting for noncitizens in D.C. before getting to the inconvenient part of the story: Texas efforts to fight illegal voting. Ainsley vaguely mentions the “2,000 noncitizens who have previously voted”, and cites unnamed “liberal advocacy groups” who question the claims. What Ainsley DOESN’T mention is that Texas actually had to go after one of the biggest liberal organizations. As we reported at the time:
Investigators from the Texas Attorney General’s Election Integrity Unit recently conducted undercover operations to identify potential voter registration of noncitizens in Texas. The investigation has already confirmed that various nonprofit organizations have been located outside Texas Department of Public Safety Driver License offices, operating booths offering to assist in voter registration for persons doing business at the driver’s license offices. But all citizens have already been presented an opportunity to register to vote as part of the process of renewing or being issued an identification card or driver’s license, so there is no obvious need to assist citizens to register to vote outside DPS offices—calling into question the motives of the nonprofit groups.
That press release goes on to say that the operation is “ongoing”. No mention of that in the NBC item.
Interestingly, the report ends with a denunciation of the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship before registering to vote, and with a statement crafted so as to elicit empathy and outrage: “The right to vote, now under an even sharper spotlight as the election looms.” The only thing under a sharp spotlight is the left’s insistence on allowing illegal aliens to vote. Which, for NBC, appears to be a bridge too far.
