• Trump launches commission to investigate voter fraud,
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday launching a commission to review alleged voter fraud and voter suppression, building upon his unsubstantiated claims that millions voted illegally in the 2016 election.
The White House said the president’s “Advisory Commission on Election Integrity” would examine allegations of improper voting and fraudulent voter registration in states and across the nation. Vice President Mike Pence will chair the panel, and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach will be vice chair of the commission, which will report back to Mr. Trump by 2018.
Mr. Trump had signaled in January he would sign an order setting up an inquiry on fraud, but it has been delayed repeatedly, as aides havebeen seen as uncomfortably answering questions about its purpose amid evidence that voter fraud is a minor problem in elections.
Mr. Trump has alleged, without evidence, that 3 million to 5 million people voted illegally in his 2016 election against Democrat Hillary Clinton. He has vowed since the start of his administration to investigate voter fraud. In November, Mr. Kobach — who has championed the strictest voter identification laws in the country — said he supported Mr. Trump’s assertions that he would have won the popular vote if “millions” of people hadn’t voted illegally.
Democrats and voting rights groups called the panel a sham, arguing there are few, if any, credible allegations of significant voter fraud. They warned that the panel would be used to lay the groundwork for stricter voting requirements that could make it more difficult for poor and minority voters to access the ballot box.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the commission wouldbe bipartisan and composed of about a dozen members, including current and former state election officials and experts.
Mr. Trump won the presidency with an Electoral College victory even though Ms. Clinton received nearly 3 millionmore votes.
Voting experts and many lawmakers, including House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, have said they haven’t seen anything to suggest that millions of people voted illegally.
Cybersecurity order
Mr. Trump on Thursday signed an executive order on cybersecurity that makes clear that agency heads will be held accountable for protecting their networks, and calls on government and industry to reduce the threat from automated attacks on the internet — though he left unclear how much input technology businesses and security consultancies would have in the review process.
Navy catapult
Mr. Trump, who wants the Navy to use more steam power, sent it scrambling Thursday after he suggested it scrap an already-built electro-magnetic catapult system —“you have to be Albert Einstein to figure it out” — on its new aircraft carrier and replace it with a steam one.
Trade rep backed
The Senate on Thursday confirmed Mr. Trump’s nominee for U.S. trade representative — Robert Lighthizer, who served as deputy U.S. trade representative under President Ronald Reagan and has worked on trade issues as a lawyer.