Americans fought in the Revolutionary War to be a free people. As Donald Trump and his allies attack free and fair elections, it’s time to take up the fight again.
Among President Donald Trump’s daily assaults on our government and its institutions, this move is among the most frightening: Trump is seeking to get control of the Federal Election Commission, which enforces campaign finance laws. In February, Trump sent a letter illegally firing FEC chairperson Ellen Weintraub, a George W. Bush appointee, without cause, something no other president has done. Weintraub refused to leave.
That’s serious. In an email to the Sun-Times, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., wrote that Trump’s action ” … is a direct attack on the integrity of a key electoral institution dedicated to ensuring fair and transparent elections. Unlawfully removing a commissioner undermines the checks and balances central to our government while weakening the enforcement of election laws that protect every citizen’s voice.”
Also, on Feb. 18, Trump signed an executive order in part to award himself more control over the FEC by giving the president and the attorney general the final power to interpret campaign finance law.
If there is a campaign finance-related dispute between Republicans and Democrats, which way do you think Trump and his attorney general — who is supposed to act as the people’s attorney, not Trump’s — would rule?
Moreover, Trump’s executive order would require all independent agencies, including the FEC, to submit new policies, rulings or regulations for Trump administration approval — negating any agency independence. National Democrats have sued.
If someone’s thumb is on the election scale, it could easily decide winners and losers. For example, in North Carolina, a Republican candidate for the state Supreme Court is trying to toss 65,000 ballots from the November election.At the moment, the Democratic candidate is leading only by a few hundr ed votes. Rulings on this dispute could decide the outcome.
‘Protecting fundamental freedoms’
Meanwhile, Trump ally Elon Musk is spending millions on the April 1 Wisconsin Supreme Court race. A victory by Trump fan Judge Brad Schimel could tip the court to a 4-3 Republican majority, likely returning Wisconsin to heavily gerrymandered status in favor of Republicans and boosting the number of Trump-supporting Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“Ultimately, it is important for voters to understand [the attack on the electoral system] is not an academic question or about niceties,” Daniel Weiner, director of the Brennan Center’s Elections and Government Program, told us. “It is a question of protecting fundamental freedoms.”
Under Trump, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has cut $10 million in federal funding for protection against election fraud and mistakes. Earlier this year, the agency reduced the staff working to guard against foreign interference in U.S. elections.
For a president who has baselessly complained about election fraud for years, why would he open the door to fraud? Because he believes in fair elections? Or because he wants to control the outcome?
The focus should be on safeguarding the vote, not punching holes in the system for political advantage on behalf of a president who tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election, leading to the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol
The FEC has already been hampered with vacancies that obstruct the ability to get a majority vote. Trump has the power to appoint people to fill those vacancies, with Senate confirmation, though the six-person commission must have no more than three members from the same political party.
Trump and his allies’ apparent mantra: Break the law first, and answer questions later, when it may be too late to do anything about it. They are openly attacking the Constitution.
Don’t like what Trump and his supporters are doing these days by, among other actions, threatening judges, jeopardizing Social Security and Medicaid, pulling funding for vital medical research, seeking to deport those with legal U.S. residency, going after colleges and universities?
For Americans to make their voices heard, maintaining the integrity of our elections is essential.
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