A member of the Federal Election Commission was defiant Tuesday after a nonprofit group said her request that President Donald Trump provide proof of voter fraud merited an investigation into whether her comments were inappropriate. Ellen Weintraub’s remarks were in response to a letter sent from the Cause of Action Institute to Lynne A. McFarland, the FEC inspector general, about a statement Weintraub made earlier in February. Weintraub called on the President to substantiate his claim of massive voter fraud in New Hampshire, a call she repeated in her statement Tuesday. Cause of Action’s letter said Weintraub, a Democratic member of the six-member commission, may be in violation of government ethics rules for making the statement as an FEC official and called on the agency’s watchdog to look into the matter. The FEC is tasked with regulating campaign finance, and Cause of Action’s letter said Weintraub could have stepped outside of her authority by commenting about voter fraud.
In a statement defending her authority to comment on the matter, Weintraub replied, “I will not be silenced.” Asked about the commissioner’s response, Cause of Action acting President John Vecchione said, “We certainly aren’t going to put our oar in on that. She’s free to say whatever she likes. No one is silencing anyone.”
Weintraub told CNN she saw it much differently, calling it “absurd” to parse the comments of an FEC commissioner speaking about a matter concerning federal elections. “Honestly, I think this is an attempt to muzzle me,” Weintraub said of the letter.
Full Article: FEC member: I have the right to demand Trump prove voter fraud claims – CNNPolitics.com.