Trump officials sought ways to sidestep election agency before firings, sources say

Trump officials sought ways to sidestep election agency before firings, sources say. WASHINGTON, July 10 (Reuters) - The White House spent months looking for ways to bypass a federal election agency and use emergency powers to force changes to voting machines, before President Donald Trump ousted its leaders on Thursday, four people familiar with the matter said. Trump fired the bipartisan federal agency's two Democratic commissioners and allowed its lone Republican commissioner to resign, Reuters reported on Thursday. The agency's fourth commissioner departed in April. As early as last fall, White House officials reviewed a recommendation from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to declare a national emergency and create a federal task force that could compel states to address vulnerabilities in voting systems, without going through the elections commission, according to the four sources. In a Thursday statement confirming the firings, the White House cited a Supreme Court decision in June that granted the president more power to fire members of independent agencies. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, called the dismissals a "brazen attempt to seize control of our elections before a single vote is cast" in the midterms. It was not immediately clear why Trump decided to force the commissioners out at this time or if they will be replaced. The agency remains operational, but without a quorum it cannot take up any new business, such as implementing changes to voting procedures or the national mail voter registration form.