Donald Trump was forced to officially shut down his failed voter fraud commission on Wednesday after most states refused to take it seriously and hand over data the administration requested.
In a typically Trump statement, the president lashed out about having to disband the commission, saying he will explore other avenues in order to get to the bottom of widespread voter fraud that exists only his unsteady mind.
The full statement:
Despite substantial evidence of voter fraud, many states have refused to provide the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity with basic information relevant to its inquiry. Rather than engage in endless legal battles at taxpayer expense, today I signed an executive order to dissolve the Commission, and have asked the Department of Homeland Security to review these issues and determine next courses of action.
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Before even getting through half a sentence, the White House lied. There is no “substantial evidence of voter fraud.” In fact, just the opposite is true.
As the Brennan Center notes, “[E]xamination after examination of voter fraud claims reveal fraud is very rare, voter impersonation is nearly non-existent, and much of the problems associated with alleged fraud relates to unintentional mistakes by voters or election administrators. Election officials and leaders of the president’s own party also agree fraud is not widespread.”
Even though Trump won the presidency via the Electoral College, he has repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims that “millions” of undocumented immigrants cast their ballot in places like California. Just days after taking office, he told lawmakers that he believes three to five million votes were cast illegally, costing him a popular vote victory over Hillary Clinton.
In reality, this is just a story Trump tells himself to feel better about the fact that a majority of the country didn’t want him to be the leader of the free world. His disastrous first year in the White House is evidence of why that was the case.
At a time when the nuclear threat with North Korea is reaching new heights – thanks largely to his loose talk on Twitter – it’s stunning that the President of the United States thinks this conspiracy theory should be a homeland security concern.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
