Reported White House Move to Take Over Elections Would Violate the Constitution

The Washington Post is reporting that President Trump is preparing to issue an executive order to take over the country’s elections in violation of the United States Constitution. In response, Issue One Policy Director Michael McNulty issued the following statement:

“The Constitution is absolutely clear. The president does not have legal authority to unilaterally change election rules. Any attempt by the White House to do so would contradict the Constitution (Article I, Section 4) and would almost certainly be struck down by the courts.

“The proposed executive order reported in The Washington Post is straight out of the playbook used by dictators to undermine democratic elections to cement their own unchecked power. If the White House issues this order, Congress must immediately take steps to stop it and protect the Constitution they swore an oath to uphold.

“An executive order along these lines would be the next step in the broader election takeover plan that Issue One has been tracking and working to stop. The first step was to prepare the ground by flooding the information space with false claims of voter fraud. The second step was to install loyalists and election deniers in key roles at federal agencies. This draft executive order would be part of a third step in harnessing those false narratives to justify changing the rules of our elections and weaponizing the executive branch to unfairly tilt the playing field before votes are cast.

“The administration is reportedly planning to use false claims of foreign election interference by China in 2020 to justify the draft executive order. There is no credible evidence of Chinese government interference in the 2020 elections, and intelligence agencies issued past reports that verified that.

“Congress must stop this order in its tracks if it is ever issued. We are a democracy, and we the people will go to the polls and choose our elected leaders without interference.”