Former Obama adviser: ‘Trump is going to try to steal’ election

Jim Messina, who served as a White House adviser to former President Obama, said he is concerned about what will happen after Election Day, alleging former President Trump is “going to try to steal” the election.

“Everyone’s talking about Nov. 5 and who’s going to win on Election Day. My worry is the day after,” Messina said Sunday on MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki.”

Messina argued Trump has shown what he will do after the election by filing various lawsuits in battleground states that target early voting and voter rolls.

“That is a precursor to what they are going to do after the election. They are going to try to set up a way to steal this election to get some of these crazy cases to their favorite United States Supreme Court,” Messina said.

Messina said when he previously served as a campaign manager, he would tease lawyers about how they weren’t a necessary expense.

“The truth is, setting up some of these legal battles is going to be incredibly important,” he said. “We know that Trump is going to try to steal this. He did last time. So, I don’t think enough attention is being paid to what is happening in these legal fights.”

As the campaign is nearing its end and Election Day is just more than two weeks away, Trump has ratcheted up the intensity of his rhetoric, including saying he would use military force to go after his enemies.

In a statement to The Hill, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung argued Messina and Democrats are worried about losing the race.

“Jim Messina is a punk and a has-been who nobody listens to because he hasn’t evolved with the times,” Cheung said. “Kamala and the Democrats are clearly scared of the momentum President Trump has so they are preparing their excuses already.”