Trump offers $1 million for voter fraud tips that lead to convictions

President Trump said Monday that people who report election fraud leading to an arrest and conviction will be paid $1 million, an offer that arrives eight days before the Nov. 3 midterms.

Trump made the announcement on Truth Social, according to Newsweek and Fox News. Newsweek reported the offer covers alleged fraud in past elections as well as this year's.

Open questions

Trump did not say where the money would come from, how tips would be submitted or who would decide whether one qualified, Newsweek reported. The White House referred questions back to the post, and the Justice Department said it defers to the White House on whether it would run or fund the reward, according to Newsweek.

The offer is separate from a $25 million fraud whistleblower program the Justice Department announced earlier for reporting fraud in federal programs. Newsweek reported that program's published awards range from $10,000 to $30,000.

A wider push

The announcement follows a series of administration actions on noncitizen voting:

• The Justice Department said on Oct. 20 that it had charged 113 people in 20 states with illegal voting and registration offenses over seven weeks, Newsweek reported. Charges are allegations, not findings of guilt.
• The Department of Homeland Security announced charges against five noncitizens accused of voting illegally in Florida, according to Fox News.
• A federal judge rejected the department's request for Georgia's unredacted voter list, which Newsweek described as the administration's 26th straight court loss on such requests. The government has appealed in several cases.

More than 27.4 million Americans had voted early as of Monday morning, Fox News reported.