President Donald Trump fired two Democrat election officials earlier this month — and the left is melting down over it.
The White House sacked Election Assistance Commission Democrats Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland with a short, direct email: “On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as Commissioner of the Election Assistance Commission is terminated, effective immediately.”
The remaining Republican commissioner, Christy McCormick, resigned shortly after. She’d served since 2014 when Barack Obama nominated her.
Now the four-member commission has no quorum. Leftist media outlets are predicting doomsday and crying “election interference.”
The Supreme Court already settled this.
“The court decision found presidents can remove these officials if they want to. It will be very hard for agencies to get around [the ruling].” — William Messenger, National Right to Work Foundation
The high court’s June ruling in Trump v. Slaughter — a 6-3 decision — agreed that members of federal commissions serve at the pleasure of the president. The ruling ended 91 years of so-called protections for “independent” bureaucrats who claimed presidents couldn’t fire them without cause.
Last year Trump fired FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter. She sued, citing a 1935 case that said Franklin D. Roosevelt was wrong to fire a conservative FTC commissioner over policy disagreements.
The Supreme Court threw out that precedent.
“I don’t think it left a whole lot of wiggle room there,” William Messenger, vice president at the National Right to Work Foundation, told The Federalist.
Ousted commissioner Hicks told PBS he’s weighing his options — meaning a lawsuit. Not advisable, said Rachel Bovard of the Conservative Partnership Institute.
“Yes, he can try to sue, but he’ll be enjoined immediately based on the fact that Humphrey’s Executor is no longer in place,” Bovard said.
The White House issued a statement noting the president “reserves 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.”
Republicans have wanted the EAC gone for years.
The Election Assistance Commission was created in 2002 after the Florida election debacle. It’s supposed to provide guidance to states, certify election equipment, and hand out federal cash for election offices.
But the Democrat-appointed commissioners have shown little interest in election integrity reforms. They’ve opposed voter ID and proof of citizenship at registration. Even when the commission has a quorum, any policy requires a 3-1 vote — gridlock by design.
Election integrity warrior Cleta Mitchell has long pointed out the Democratic commissioners are rank partisans.
“They’re rank partisans,” Bovard confirmed.
“[Trump] has the ability to appoint commissioners who care about election integrity. He’s got to have confidence in the people overseeing our elections, that they are not rank partisans but committed to the carriage of their duty.” — Rachel Bovard
Trump delivered a national address on election integrity Thursday, releasing reams of declassified documents exposing vulnerabilities in the election system. He discussed Communist China’s infiltration of U.S. elections and the rigged 2020 presidential contest.
Declassified documents show China grabbed 220 million U.S. voter files filled with sensitive information.
A Reuters report claims the Trump administration spent more than a year scrutinizing the EAC, raising concerns about the commission’s handling of 2020 and its ability to secure voting systems.
Given the EAC’s track record of gridlock, institutional weakness, and willful disregard of election threats, scrutinizing its operations isn’t just understandable — it’s overdue.
“Why wouldn’t it be in his interest to get this right?” Bovard said. “It’s not just a priority for him, it’s a priority for his base. People feeling disenfranchised in some states is a big problem.”
Trump has the Supreme Court’s backing. He has the constitutional authority. And he has 220 million reasons to clean house.
