Reuters Reports a Year-Long White House Review of the Election Agency Before Its Commissioners Were Fired

Reuters reported on July 17, 2026, citing documents it reviewed and two people familiar with the discussions, that the administration spent more than a year scrutinizing the Election Assistance Commission — questioning its handling of the 2020 election and vetting potential new commissioners — before the president fired its two Democratic commissioners and allowed its lone Republican to resign the previous week, leaving the four-member panel vacant. According to correspondence Reuters reviewed, the commission asked then-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in May 2025 for a briefing on alleged voting-system vulnerabilities; instead, on July 3, 2025, ODNI official Paul McNamara sent six pages of questions and complaints repeatedly referencing 2020, taking issue with the commission's statement that the election had been the most secure in American history. Reuters also reported the White House considered Patrice Johnson of the Michigan Fair Elections Institute, recommended by attorney Cleta Mitchell, and lawyer Kurt Olsen — both Mitchell and Olsen worked to overturn the 2020 result.

The commission certifies voting systems used by the states and holds decertification authority it has never exercised in 24 years, so its composition bears directly on voting technology ahead of the November midterms.

The White House did not respond to questions about the documents or its replacement plans. Any nominee requires Senate confirmation; none has been announced.