Trump will order probe of debunked fraud claims

WASHINGTON— A spokesman said U.S. President Donald Trump will sign an executive action to commission an investigation into widespread voter fraud, raising the prospect of a federal government probe into a widely debunked claim and sparking alarm among experts and Democrats.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Thursday that Trump would sign the order in the Oval Office but did not provide more details as to what it might entail.

Trump had announced in a pair of tweets early Wednesday that a “major investigation” will look at those registered to vote in more than one state, “those who are illegal and . . .even, those registered to vote who are dead (and many for a long time).” Depending on results, the Republican tweeted on his sixth day in office, “we will strengthen up voting procedures!”

He went further later, claiming: “You have people registered in two states. They’re registered in a New York and a New Jersey. They vote twice.”

“There are millions of votes, in my opinion,” Trump told ABC. “Of those votes cast, none of them come to me. None of them come to me.” But House oversight committee chairman Jason Chaffetz on Thursday broke with Trump, saying he sees no evidence of voter fraud in the 2016 election and says his committee won’t investigate it.

The Utah Republican says Trump is free to order the Justice Department to investigate the issue, but he’s not interested in launching a congressional inquiry. Chaffetz told reporters at the congressional Republican retreat in Philadelphia that voting happens at the local level, adding “I don’t see any evidence” of widespread fraud.

There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in last November’s election, in which Trump won the Electoral College, but lost the popular vote by nearly 2.9 million votes to Democrat Hillary Clinton.

That popular vote tally has fixated Trump, who worries that it has led to questions about the legitimacy of his victory, aides and associates say.