President says call to U.S. Attorney aided candidate in California primary

A U.S. president told supporters at a rally in Pennsylvania that he contacted a federal prosecutor in California after seeing shifts in vote totals during recent primaries. He described the move as an effort to prevent late mail ballots from changing preliminary leads in both the Los Angeles mayoral contest and the Republican gubernatorial primary.

The president said one candidate held a second-place position on Election Day before additional ballots narrowed the margin. He stated that the same pattern appeared in the governor's race, where late mail ballots favored a different contender seeking to advance.

Details from the rally The president recounted calling the U.S.

Attorney's office and requesting a review of the vote tallies. He said an announcement that the candidate had advanced followed the contact, though he did not name the specific office or official involved. State officials have previously criticized similar remarks for raising questions about election procedures without evidence.

The governor's office responded to the latest comments with a single-word statement calling them false. The president also criticized California's extended vote-counting timeline and called for federal legislation on election administration.