ACLU takes credit for helping end Trump’s voter integrity commission ‘charade’

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) responded to President Trump’s decision to shutter his election integrity commission Wednesday night, saying in a statement it was “proud” to have challenged the panel in court.

“This commission was a sham from the start and everyone recognized it,” Voting Rights Project director Dale Ho said in a statement.

“We have real problems when it comes to elections: low voter turnout, unnecessary barriers to participation, outdated and insecure machines, and possible foreign interference. But rather than address these real threats to election integrity, the commission engaged in a wild-goose chase for voter fraud, demonizing the very American voters whom we should all be helping to participate — with the not-so-secret goal of making voting harder with unnecessary barriers.”

“President Trump has tried and failed to spread his own fake news about voter fraud,” he added. “We are proud of the role that the ACLU’s litigation had in ending this charade.”

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Trump signed an order establishing the commission last May to investigate his baseless claim that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote due to millions of illegal votes during the November 2016 election.

On Wednesday, the White House shuttered the panel, headed by Vice President Pence and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, citing conflicts with state and local officials over voter roll data.

“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,” Trump said in a statement released by the White House.

“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.”

The panel was heavily criticized by Democrats, who said it was a tool for Republicans to suppress minority voter turnout.