FEC commissioner: ‘I will not be silenced’

The member of the Federal Elections Commission who asked President Trump to produce proof of his voter fraud claims on Tuesday said she will not be silenced by a watchdog’s attempt to investigate her for the request.

“But let there be no doubt: It is absolutely within my official duties as a federal election official to comment publicly on any aspect of the integrity federal elections in the United States,” Commissioner Ellen Weintraub said in a statement. “I will not be silenced.”

Weintraub earlier this month called on Trump to produce evidence of his claim of mass voter fraud, specifically in New Hampshire, which she said was “an extraordinarily serious and specific charge.” Trump has provided no evidence of the unfounded claim.

{mosads}“The scheme the President of the United States alleges would constitute thousands of felony criminal offenses under New Hampshire law,” Weintraub, a Democrat, said on Feb. 10. 

Cause of Action, a 501(c)(3) that promotes government accountability, requested on Tuesday that the FEC inspector general launch an investigation into Weintraub to see if she violated ethics regulations by calling on Trump to provide evidence of his claims.

Weintraub on Tuesday said that the president’s allegation is within her jurisdiction as a commissioner.

“Any such allegation challenging the legitimacy of federal elections would be of great concern to me,” she said.

“As it happens, this particular allegation falls squarely within the jurisdiction of the Federal Election Commission, since the expense of these buses has not been accounted for on any campaign-finance filing. Accordingly, I have asked the President evidence.”

Trump has blamed voter fraud for the reason he lost the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton.