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President Donald Trump on Thursday called for an investigation into a Democratic congressional candidate in New York, alleging she submitted fraudulent signatures to qualify for the ballot.
In a social media post, President Trump accused Effie Phillips-Staley of misconduct and urged authorities to act.
“Congressman Mike Lawler is doing a terrific job for New York’s 17th Congressional District! Mike will most likely be running against a Radical Left Democrat named Effie Phillips-Staley, who loves High Taxes, Open Borders, Anti-Semitism, Men in Women’s Sports, and Transgender for Everybody, among other CRAZY ideas,” the president posted to Truth Social.
“Effie Phillips-Staley’s campaign has just been caught CHEATING, RED-HANDED, trying to file hundreds of fraudulent signatures to get on the ballot,” he wrote. “Justice should be sought, and the fraud should be investigated, IMMEDIATELY! Effie Phillips-Staley is a FRAUDSTER, but the good news is that Congressman Mike Lawler is a WINNER, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement — MIKE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”
Phillips-Staley is running against Mike Lawler, who has challenged her ballot access in court. Lawler has filed a lawsuit seeking to have his opponent removed, citing concerns over the validity of petition signatures submitted by her campaign.
“As I said from the beginning, the petitions filed by @effie4congress had significant fraud. This morning’s ruling, while allowing Effie to remain on the ballot, made clear that her campaign allowed numerous individuals to fraudulently collect signatures. Judge Fried has referred it for criminal prosecution,” Lawler wrote.
“While some will try to gloss over that fact and say the petition was not permeated with fraud based on prior case law, the fact that a candidate for Congress would file hundreds of fraudulent signatures is beyond disqualifying,” he continued.
A court has referred the signature filings for further review, though no final determination has been announced.
