Trump on states rejecting voter fraud commission request: 'What are they trying to hide?'


Amid a series of media-focused tweets Saturday morning, President Trump paused to insinuate nearly half of state governments are concealing wrongdoing because they have not complied with a request from his new Election Integrity Commission for an extensive set of voter data to fuel an election fraud investigation:
The commission is tasked with investigating Trump's persistent but unsupported claim that he only lost the popular vote in the 2016 election because millions of illegal votes were cast. To that end, it has requested the name, address, date of birth, party affiliation, last four Social Security number digits, and 10 years of voting history of every voter in every state.
So far, two dozen states with Republican and Democratic leadership alike have rejected the data demands. "There's not enough bourbon here in Kentucky to make this request seem sensible," said Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes (D). "Not on my watch are we going to be releasing sensitive information that relate to the privacy of individuals."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.
-
What to know about private equity in your 401(k)
the explainer BlackRock is making private investments available in employer-sponsored retirement plans
-
The unsteady pace of Formula 1's US popularity
In Depth The racing sport is immensely popular in Europe but has seen mixed success in the US
-
An American girl takes on London, 'Bosch' gets another spinoff and Washington Black leaps from page to screen in July TV
the week recommends This month's new television releases include 'Too Much,' 'Ballard' and 'Washington Black'
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage