Mediaboss Marketing

David Jackson and Deborah Barfield Berry, USA Today Published 4:09 p.m. ET May 11, 2017 | Updated 14 hours ago

Earlier this week, the president told congressional leaders he believes 3 million to 5 million illegal ballots cost him the popular vote. Video provided by Newsy Newslook

President Trump boards Air Force One before his departure from Andrews Air Force Base, Md., on May 4, 2017.(Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais, AP)

WASHINGTON President DonaldTrump signed an executive order Thursday to set upa commission to study his unproven allegations of voter fraud in last year's presidential election, as he continues to grapple with the fallout from his abrupt and controversial firing of FBI Director James Comey.

The commission will be chaired by Vice President Mike Pence, who will be joined by up to 15other members, including Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson.Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who has advocated for some of the most restrictiveelection laws in the country, will serve as the commission's vice chair.

"The president's committed to the thorough review of registration and voting issues in federal elections,'' saidWhite House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders."And that's exactly what this commission is tasked with doing.''

Trump, wholost the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton by nearly 2.9 million votes, has claimed that last year's election included up to 5 million fraudulent voters butthere is no evidence to back this assertion.

Trump'sexecutive order creating the "Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity'' comes as Democrats and other critics accuse him of firing Comey to obstruct an ongoing investigation into possible collusion between Trump campaign associates and Russians who tried to influence last year's election.

Read more:

Comey's fired. Here's what we know about probes into Trump campaign and Russia

Senate Democrats seek Comeys testimony amid new questions about his ouster

Comey fired before Justice Department could complete internal probe into his election actions

The president is planning a visit to the FBI headquarters in the coming days to calm the waters, administration officials said. But the unexpected announcement of the new commission which was not on Trump's public schedule for the day might be seen as a way to distract from the firestorm unleashed by the Comey firing earlier this week.

Voting rights advocates blasted the new executive order, calling ita distraction that doesn't address pressing issues such voter suppression.

We hold grave concerns about this commission and the impact that it will likely have on minority communities across our country," said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.In our view, President Trump has launched this commission to create a distraction from actual threats to our democracy, including ongoing voter discrimination, voter suppression and Russias interference in the 2016 election.

Meanwhile, federal and state election officials from both parties have disputed Trump's claims of massive voter fraud. They say there have been few, if any, incidents of people voting when they were not registered or voting by people who were not American citizens.

"Every election is going to have issues, but I dont think that 3 to 5 million people voting illegally was one of those issues," said Thomas Hicks, then-chairman of the federal Election Assistance Commission said inJanuary in USA TODAY.

Election officials have said they worryTrumps claims could shake the faith of voters, particularly at a time when the FBI and Congress are investigating whether Russia interfered in last years presidential election.

For his part, Trump has stood by his claim.

"We'll see after the committee," Trump toldTimemagazine in March.

The ordercalls forthe commissiontostudy the "vulnerabilities in voting systems and practices used for federal elections that could lead to improper voter registrations and improper voting, including fraudulent voter registrations and fraudulent voting.''

The advisory commissionset up to"promote fair and honest federal elections''will hold public meetings and meet with federal state and local officials as well as election experts, according to the order. The commissionis expected topresent a report to the president next year.

"The experts and officials on this commission will follow the facts where they lead,'' Sanders said.

But voting rights advocates expressed doubts.Michael Waldman, president of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, called the commission a sham and a distraction.

Brennan released a recentnationalreport thatdisputed Trump's claims of massive fraud.Of23.5 million votes cast in 42 jurisdictionsin last year's general election,about30 were incidents ofsuspectednoncitizen voting, the report found.

"All studies, including our own, have shown that voter fraud is vanishingly rare,'' Myrna Prez, deputy director of the Brennan Center's Democracy Program, said in a statement. "And, the myth of voter fraud has been the justification for restrictive voting laws for years, serving to roll back access to our democracy for people all across the country."

Voting rights advocates say the administration should focus on making access to the polls easier instead of unfounded claims of voter fraud. They argue some lawmakers are using the claim to ramp up more restrictive election laws.

States, mostly controlled by Republican legislatures, have adopted more election laws, including voter ID laws, in recent years. Supporters say they help protect against voter fraud.

Voting rights advocates also tookaim atTrump's appointment ofKobach to the commission. Kobach, a conservative, has been in legal battles in Kansas over some ofthe state's election laws, including one requiring voters to prove their citizenship before voting.

"No commission with Secretary Kobach at the helm can be taken seriously," said Clarke, from the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

Other commission members include Republicans such as Ken Blackwell, former Secretary of State of Ohio; and Christy McCormick, a commissioner on the Election Assistance Commission. Democrats include Bill Gardner, New Hampshires Secretary of State, and Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap.

Clarke said she's surprised to see Trump follow through on his promise to set upthe commissionconsidering the lack ofevidence. Its also disappointing that nowhere in this executive order is there any sensitivity to this administrations obligation to enforce federal rights law,'' she said. "There is no reference to voting discrimination or voter suppression. Those words simply do not appear."

Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, called the commission a waste of taxpayer money.

"Instead of supporting an investigation into fake issues like voter fraud that pose no threat to the country, the Trump administration should support an investigation into real issues that do,real issues like Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, campaign collusion and cover-up, and voter suppression and intimidation,'' Richmond said in a joint statement withMichigan Rep. John Conyers, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee.

Trump's order, however, could get support from some Republican lawmakers, who have welcomed a federal investigation into allegations of voter fraud.

Safeguarding our democracy requires fair and accurate elections, Rep. Gregg Harper, R-Miss., chairman of the House Administration Committee, which has jurisdiction over federal elections, said earlier this year.

Get more:Subscribe to IndyStar

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

Read or Share this story: http://indy.st/2r53tPM

Continue reading here:
Mike Pence, Connie Lawson to study 'voter fraud' as part of Trump commission - Indianapolis Star