Mullin denies directive to impersonate voters
Markwayne MullinSecretary of Homeland Security
Asked whether DHS officers were told to pose as voters to obtain records, Mullin denies that the department issued such a directive and says it would fix the problem if the allegation proved true.
“That's absolutely not the directive that we put out there, and it's not even close to what we're doing.”
Interview
Where this statement fits
Did DHS direct officers to misrepresent themselves to search state voter records?
A September 2026 whistleblower disclosure alleges that personnel working on DHS's Unlawful Voter Initiative were directed to search state voter portals even where access requires the user to be the voter or an authorized representative. The published packet includes a list of state sites, an attestation example, and a training excerpt saying officers could search the sites. The excerpt does not explicitly instruct officers to make false attestations. Senators Alex Padilla and Chuck Schumer have called for an investigation and an immediate halt to the activity. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin denied that officers were given the alleged directive. The dispute is whether DHS directed officers to misrepresent their authority to obtain protected voter records.
Source and context
Interview
About this source
Bash asked Secretary Mullin whether DHS officers were told to misrepresent themselves to obtain voter records. Mullin denied that this was a DHS directive and said the department would fix the problem if it were true. CNN marks this as a rush transcript.
Before the quotation
Dana Bash asked Mullin about the whistleblower's allegation that officers had been told to misrepresent themselves to obtain sensitive voter records.
After the quotation
Mullin said he had not seen the whistleblower's materials, maintained that DHS was enforcing election and immigration law, and said it would fix the problem if true.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Mullin explicitly denies that DHS directed officers to misrepresent themselves on voter portals. He says the department would correct such conduct if it occurred.
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More from this case
Read the full caseCoons and other senators call the alleged DHS voter-portal searches alarming if true
“If true, this is just another alarming effort by the Department to use data that USCIS materials admit may be inaccurate, coupled with questionable means to potentially disenfranchise voters.”Read statement
Peters and other senators call the alleged DHS voter searches alarming
“If true, this is just another alarming effort by the Department to use data that USCIS materials admit may be inaccurate”Read statement
Jones warns false voter-portal certifications may break Virginia law
“Users that falsely make this certification in an effort to gather protected voter information may be violating several Virginia criminal statutes.”Read statement
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- Mullin denies directive to impersonate voters
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The Dispute Index. "Mullin denies directive to impersonate voters". First published: 2026-09-28. Last updated: 2026-09-28. https://disputeindex.com/events/3227-asked-whether-dhs-officers-were-told-to-pose