President Trump is poised to replace all six members of the Federal Election Commission, reviving the politically divided agency and steering members, especially free-ranging Democrats, off soap boxes and back to their jobs.
While Democrat Ann Ravel recently announced her intent to resign in the coming days, she is reportedly not the only commissioner looking to move on from the agency. Other commissioners, according to insiders, are exploring leaving, retirement or taking jobs within the Trump administration.
All but Ravel, who made headlines for pushing regulation of Internet speech and conservative political sites like the Drudge Report, are serving on expired six-year terms and can be replaced at any time by Trump.
Typically, commissioner names are suggested by the sitting president and Senate leader on the other political side. By law, the commission is split, three Democrats and three Republicans.
But experts said Trump could shake up the process, especially since his top White House counsel, Donald F. McGahn II, was a commissioner. He pushed several issues that irked Democrats, including deregulating campaign finance.
Trump can’t pick a Republican for the Democratic seats, but he can go with an independent or moderate and is sure to look for a change from liberals Ravel and fellow Commissioner Ellen Weintraub, who recently has gone on a campaign to demand from the president proof of voter fraud, an issue outside the FEC’s authority.
Weintraub, whose term expired a decade ago, could have the biggest target on her. Besides challenging Trump, and claiming “I will not be silenced” for her push on voter fraud, she and Ravel attacked McGahn in the New York Times when Trump named him.
“It is expected that Don McGahn will have significant input into who the Republican nominees are, and Chuck Schumer will likely have a leading role in picking the Democratic nominees. But because Republican leader Mitch McConnell cares about FEC issues, too, I wouldn’t rule his input out,” said one election law expert.
Trump is expected to focus on potential commissioners with views more in tune with McGahn, and less likely to tangle with issues outside the FEC’s authority or push the pet projects of Ravel and Weintraub.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
