President Trump cleans house at the bipartisan Election Assistance Commission

President Trump cleans house at the bipartisan Election Assistance Commission. With just months until the midterms, President Trump relieved the remaining members of the bipartisan U.S. Election Assistance Commission, a move that drew swift condemnation from Democrats and voting rights advocates. Trump dismissed Hicks and Hovland; McCormick resigned her position. The EAC moves also come as Trump continues to try to influence elections in unprecedented ways. "President Trump is trying to dismantle yet another independent guardrail of our democracy designed to keep elections fair and secure," they said in a statement, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Rep. Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.). "Purging commissioners just months before the midterm elections and further gutting support for our state and local elections officials is a blatant part of his plan to politicize our elections and enable more unlawful and dangerous election interference." Michael Waldman, president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice, said the dismissals "are deeply concerning in light of President Trump's relentless efforts to try to interfere in elections." "These removals leave the agency without leadership and unable to carry out its major responsibilities," Waldman said. Matt Weil, vice president of governance at the Bipartisan Policy Center, called Trump's dismissals "unprecedented" and "a significant loss for one of the federal government's few institutions explicitly designed around bipartisan governance."