Trump fires Election Assistance Commission leaders

Trump fires Election Assistance Commission leaders. The White House on Thursday fired the leadership of the federal agency that provides funding and security guidance to election officials, according to sources familiar with the matter and an email reviewed by CNN — a move that's already raising alarm bells among election officials about federal interference ahead of the midterms. "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," said an email from a White House official that went to at least one of the fired EAC commissioners. "Thank you for your service." With the Trump administration having gutted the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the EAC is one of the few remaining federal entities tasked with providing election security support to states. The commission was also a target of the first executive order Trump signed seeking to overhaul elections in 2025. "The EAC has been a dead man walking since the Slaughter decision— really since the executive order last year," one former EAC official told CNN, referring to the Supreme Court decision. "Today's firings make this even more clear."