The Grinder of Power: Nevada’s U.S. Attorney, Election Claims, and a System Under Strain
I’ve walked enough blocks to know how the game works: the powerful push a narrative, the rest of us pay the price. In Nevada, the top federal prosecutor is leaning hard on a debunked 2020 fraud claim, hoping the FBI will chase a political wind. This isn’t about fixing the vote. It’s about control, and it’s dressed up like justice.
According to a government document obtained by Reuters, U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah told Justice Department officials in late July that she met with federal agents and handed them a thumb drive containing data compiled by Nevada’s Republican Party. The material allegedly covered:
- People living in the U.S. illegally who cast ballots in 2020.
- Members of Indian tribes who allegedly received cash for ballots.
- Efforts to remove “illegal aliens” from voter rolls, with a claimed aim of census-related reallocation that could affect Nevada’s 4th congressional district race.
Chattah also expressed a desire to exonerate six Republicans prosecuted by Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford for posing as fake electors after the election. Those charges were dismissed by a lower court, with the state appealing (the case remains pending).
The document notes Chattah withdrew from the fake elector case on April 7, and in the dateline of that filing, a 7 was crossed out and replaced with a 1. She spoke of uncovering an ongoing conspiracy between the Biden White House and state attorneys general, and called for takedowns of unions and nonprofits that operate voter registration drives, along with a probe into ActBlue—the Democratic political action committee financing some voter efforts.
This is the kind of move that raises ethics alarms. Legal experts say her actions could clash with federal ethics rules because of prior work as a defense attorney for Republican clients and as the Nevada GOP chair, plus a 2022 bid for state attorney general against Aaron Ford.
Ethics and impartiality under the spotlight
DOJ guidelines say prosecutors can’t start a case based on political association, activities, or beliefs. Ethics rules also bar government lawyers from lingering on matters tied to former clients or employers for a year. Critics say Chattah’s push to investigate could be seen as an action to exonerate her former clients, raising the specter of bias.
A DOJ spokesperson declined to comment on ongoing investigations. Reuters couldn’t confirm whether the FBI opened a probe, but Chattah publicly indicated such a probe was underway in a local interview, while denying political motivation.
The broader context: this is described as part of a string of high-profile cases in the era of Attorney General Pam Bondi that critics say target Trump’s political foes. The public record notes that during the 2020 election, Chattah echoed false claims that the presidency was stolen. In 2021, the Nevada GOP tried to present evidence of voter fraud, but the state found most issues related to voter registrations to be inaccurate or suspicious for various reasons.
For folks on the ground—the ones who feel the machine grind daily—these moves matter. Not because every claim is wrong, but because the system’s machinery can be bent toward control as easily as toward truth. The fight isn’t just about who wins a district. It’s about whether justice serves the people or serves power.
The truth, from the street to the courthouse, is that accountability must sit above politics. Second chances matter—so does accountability for those who weaponize the system to keep themselves in power.
