The U.S. Congress’ watchdog office has agreed to investigate President Donald Trump’s commission on voter fraud after three Democratic senators raised concerns the panel’s work may diminish the public’s confidence in the democratic process. The Government Accountability Office said in a letter dated on Wednesday that it had accepted a request from Democratic Senators Amy Klobuchar, Michael Bennet and Cory Booker to investigate the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. Trump established the panel in May after charging, without evidence, that millions of illegal immigrants voted in the November 2016 election. Most state election officials and election law experts say that U.S. voter fraud is rare.
Democrats and voting rights groups have criticized the panel, arguing it could be a vehicle for changes that would make it harder for lawful voters to cast ballots. A number of state governments have declined to hand over information about their voters to the White House.
In a letter last week to the GAO requesting the probe, the three senators said the commission, which is headed by Vice President Mike Pence, had not responded to congressional requests for information about its activities. They said the panel’s lack of transparency could “unnecessarily diminish confidence in our democratic process.”
Full Article: Congress watchdog to investigate Trump voter fraud panel.