President Donald Trump ousted the three remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission, with less than four months before midterm elections, the White House confirmed Friday.
Democrats blasted Trump's gutting of the EAC, an independent federal agency that helps administer election funds, calling it just the latest example of Trump's efforts to subvert U.S. elections.
Two Democratic commissioners — Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland — were fired by email on Thursday, according to VoteBeat, which first reported the ousters.
Christy McComick, was allowed to resign, according to VoteBeat, whose reporting was confirmed by a White House official in an email to CNBC.
A fourth commissioner, the Republican Donald Palmer, voluntarily left the commission in April for a job at the Heritage Foundation.
"The President, and head of the Executive Branch, reserves the right to remove individuals that may not be totally aligned with the important task of securing America's elections and ensuring every legal vote is counted," a White House official said in an email to CNBC when asked about the terminations.
"The Slaughter decision gives the President precedence to do so," said the official, referring to the Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling in late June, which held that Trump had the authority to fire Federal Trade Commissioner Louise Slaughter.
The ruling gave Trump and future presidents the power to remove members of supposedly independent federal agencies that carry out functions under the government's executive branch.
"The Administration from the start has been working across all agencies and local partners to safeguard elections from fraud and abuse, and investing in a strong infrastructure to sustain that mission especially in the midterm elections," the White House official said.
But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in a post on X, said, "Firing every remaining member of the bipartisan Election Assistance Commission months before the midterms is a brazen attempt to seize control of our elections before a single vote is cast,
"He is gutting the independent agency that certifies voting systems and helps election officials run secure elections," Schumer wrote.
Voting rights advocates and Democrats have raised alarms that Trump, who has repeatedly claimed the 2020 election was stolen from him, is attempting to undermine November's elections.
Trump continues to push for a controversial election bill, the SAVE America Act, which would impose strict voter identification requirements and mandate proof of citizenship to vote.
Over the past year, he has attacked the practice of voting by mail and floated the idea that Republicans should "nationalize" elections.