Schumer on Trump election board firings: ‘Brazen attempt to seize control’

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Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) on Thursday blasted President Trump’s decision to fire members of the bipartisan Election Assistance Commission, accusing the president of making a “brazen attempt to seize control of our elections.”

“Donald Trump said Republicans should ‘take over the voting.’ Today, he took another step toward doing exactly that,” Schumer said in a statement.

“Firing every remaining member of the bipartisan Election Assistance Commission months before the midterms is a brazen attempt to seize control of our elections before a single vote is cast,” he added.

The New York Democrat accused Trump of “gutting the independent agency that certifies voting systems and helps election officials run secure elections,” and he vowed Democrats will “fight this power grab at every turn.”

Schumer spoke after the Trump administration pushed out the three remaining members of the commission, which helps states run their elections.

The White House said in a statement the president has the right to “remove individuals that may not be totally aligned with the important task of securing America’s elections and ensuring every legal vote is counted.”

The administration cited the Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. Slaughter, which expanded the president’s power to fire commissioners at independent agencies.

The two Democratic commissioners on the panel were fired while the GOP member resigned.

Trump has warned repeatedly that the midterm elections could be marred with fraud if Republicans in Congress do not pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, which would require people to show documented proof of citizenship when registering to vote and require voters to show photo identification.

Democrats have called the law “Jim Crow 2.0,” arguing it would prevent millions of Americans from voting. Democrats say voter fraud is an infrequent occurrence and that Trump’s claims of vote rigging are unsubstantiated.

The Election Assistance Commission sets voting equipment standards, tests and certifies voting machines and provides funding to states to improve the management of elections.

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