Key facts
- The Trump administration scrutinized the Election Assistance Commission for over a year before firing its leaders.
- The scrutiny focused on the agency's handling of the 2020 election and its ability to safeguard voting machines.
- President Trump has made election security a central theme for upcoming midterms.
- The White House fired the commission's two Democratic commissioners and allowed its Republican commissioner to resign.
- Administration officials questioned the commission's assertion that the 2020 election was the 'most secure in American history'.
The Trump administration spent over a year scrutinizing the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), a federal agency that helps test and certify voting systems, before firing its commissioners. This effort, which included questioning the agency's handling of the 2020 presidential election and vetting potential new leaders, aimed to give the administration greater influence over federal elections ahead of the November midterm elections. President Trump has consistently claimed U.S. elections are unreliable and vowed to work with states to address alleged vulnerabilities. The EAC's role in this effort remains unclear. The White House dismissed the agency's two Democratic commissioners and accepted the resignation of its Republican commissioner, leaving the panel vacant. Documents reviewed by Reuters show administration officials had long questioned the EAC's work on the 2020 election and its ability to safeguard voting machines. An ODNI official, Paul McNamara, specifically challenged the EAC's assertion that the 2020 election was the 'most secure in American history' and questioned policy updates made after the election. Meanwhile, individuals associated with Trump's election agenda, such as Patrice Johnson and attorney Cleta Mitchell, were considered for commissioner positions.