DNC Chair Tom Perez released the following statement after Donald Trump announced his plans to create a ‘Presidential Commission on Election Integrity’:

“Donald Trump shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near the word ‘integrity.’ This commission is nothing but a Trump-sponsored propaganda factory for justifying the GOP’s broader voter suppression efforts and nursing the president’s wounded ego after he lost the popular vote.

“Study after study has proven that in-person voter fraud is effectively non-existent—more people get struck by lightning each year. But Republicans like Kris Kobach, whom Trump hand-picked to run this charade, have spent years lying about voter fraud in order to keep African American and Latino voters from the polls. They have rammed through legislation to make it harder, not easier, for Americans to exercise their constitutional right to vote in states like Texas, North Carolina and Wisconsin.

“Today’s executive order is another obvious solution in search of a problem, and it’s a disgraceful attack on communities of color, working families, students, first-generation Americans, and the elderly. Democrats believe that voting is a fundamental right in America, and that our democracy is stronger when more people participate in our elections, not fewer. That’s why we’re creating a voter protection and empowerment unit at the DNC to stand up and resist the assault on the right to vote from Republicans and Trump. We can’t trust Trump, Jeff Sessions, or anyone in this administration to protect access to the ballot box.”

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