Donald Trump's voter fraud panel facing congressional probe after concerns raised over impact
Three opposition senators express fears over potential affect Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity might have on public confidence in democratic process
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The US Congress's watchdog office has agreed to investigate President Donald Trump’s commission on voter fraud after three Democratic senators raised concerns the panel’s work may diminish the public’s confidence in the democratic process.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a letter dated on Wednesday that it had accepted a request from Democratic Senators Amy Klobuchar, Michael Bennet and Cory Booker to investigate the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity.
Trump established the panel in May after charging, without evidence, that millions of illegal immigrants voted in the November 2016 election. Most state election officials and election law experts say that US voter fraud is rare.
Democrats and voting rights groups have criticised the panel, arguing it could be a vehicle for changes that would make it harder for lawful voters to cast ballots. A number of state governments have declined to hand over information about their voters to the White House.
In a letter last week to the GAO requesting the probe, the three senators said the commission, which is headed by Vice President Mike Pence, had not responded to congressional requests for information about its activities. They said the panel’s lack of transparency could “unnecessarily diminish confidence in our democratic process.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the GAO’s decision to open an investigation.
The commission’s vice chair, Kris Kobach, the Republican Secretary of State for Kansas and an advocate of tougher laws on immigration and voter identification, asked states in June to turn over voter information.
The data requested by Kobach included names, the last four digits of Social Security numbers, addresses, birth dates, political affiliation, felony convictions and voting histories.
More than 20 states refused outright and others said they needed to study whether they could provide the data.
Reuters
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments