AP17:033
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 11, 2017
Contact:
Jesse Melgar or Sam Mahood
(916) 653-6575
California Secretary of State Alex Padilla Statement on Trump “Commission on Election Integrity”
SACRAMENTO – California Secretary of State Alex Padilla released the following statement in response to the establishment of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity:
“With today’s announcement we are seeing the Trump administration’s continued fixation with unproven "massive voter fraud" and their concerted campaign of voter suppression.”
“In the months since President Trump first made his unsubstantiated and debunked claims of massive voter fraud, he has failed to provide one shred of evidence. In the process, however, he has impugned the integrity of voters, our nation’s elections officials, and our democratic process.”
“Further, it's extremely difficult to see how Trump’s proposed commission can be objective and impartial given Secretary Kobach’s leadership role. Kobach’s involvement with the administration has been troubling from the start, considering his long history of voter suppression efforts. He is exactly the wrong person to be involved in any commission on voter fraud.”
“The Commission’s mandate is deeply flawed and its motives suspect. The only purpose this Commission serves is to distract from critical investigations of Russian interference in the 2016 election. And I fear that it will serve as pretext for the administration’s efforts to roll back the voting rights so many fought so hard to obtain.”
###
Follow the California Secretary of State on Twitter and Facebook.
