SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Trump dissolves commission looking into election fraud

A presidential commission, set up to investigate allegations of electoral fraud during the 2016 US election, has been shut down by Donald Trump.

File: US President Donald J. Trump (C) delivers remarks beside Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (L) and US Vice President Mike Pence (R)
File: US President Donald J. Trump (C) delivers remarks beside Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (L) and US Vice President Mike Pence (R) Source: AAP

1 min read

Published

Updated


Skip to article content

US President Donald Trump has shut down a presidential commission charged with looking into allegations of electoral fraud during the 2016 election, after many states refused to provide it with data.

"Rather than engage in endless legal battles at taxpayer expense, today I signed an executive order to dissolve the Commission, and have asked the Department of Homeland Security to review these issues and determine next courses of action," Trump said in a statement.

The panel, headed by Vice President Mike Pence, was established in May last year to look into voter fraud, but met with resistance from many states.

A federal judge in Washington, DC, noted in November that the commission was an advisory body that lacked legal authority to compel states to hand over data.

Trump, a Republican, has said that fraud may have accounted for his loss nationwide in the popular vote to Democratic rival Hillary Clinton by nearly three million votes.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Most state officials who oversee elections and election law experts say that voter fraud is rare in the United States.


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world