U.S. President Donald Trump was sued on Friday by the Democratic Party over a recent executive order it says violates federal election law by giving him too much power over the independent Federal Election Commission.
The lawsuit filed in the Washington, D.C., federal court by three national Democratic committees, according to Reuters, is the party’s first against Trump during the Republican’s second White House term.
It comes as Democrats, outnumbered in Congress, seek an effective means to counteract far-reaching changes from Trump’s first six weeks of his second term, including many steps to lessen government oversight and eliminate internal dissent.
Several dozen lawsuits have challenged other actions taken by Trump since his January 20 inauguration.
Friday’s lawsuit objects to a February 18 order giving the White House more control over the election commission, the National Labor Relations Board, the Securities and Exchange Commission and other traditionally independent agencies that normally operate day-to-day at arm’s length from the president.
Critics have called the order an unprecedented power grab.
Democrats said enforcing it would essentially substitute Trump’s views on election-related disputes for those of the bipartisan election commission, and let him dictate outcomes.
Other defendants include Attorney General Pam Bondi, the election commission and three commissioners.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Justice said in an email: “This department has already been fighting in court to vigorously defend President Trump’s agenda and will continue to do so.”
The election commission said through a spokesman that it does not discuss litigation.
‘PARTISAN’ OUTCOMES FEARED
Congress created the election commission in 1974 in the wake of the Watergate scandal, to oversee elections and enforce campaign finance laws.
The complaint quotes then-Republican President Gerald Ford saying both political parties had “expressed their pleasure with this bill, noting that it allows them to compete fairly.”
ALSO READ:US Consumer Spending Posts First Drop In Almost Two Years
But according to the complaint, letting Trump micromanage the commission would undermine its purpose, by allowing a “single partisan political figure” to rig campaign rules and resolve disputes against his opponents.
Trump’s order, “Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies,” makes his and Bondi’s opinions on questions of law “controlling” for all federal employees performing their official duties, and bans executive branch employees from advancing contrary views.
The plaintiffs include the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
They said Trump’s order is already causing irreparable harm, by making it harder for the Senate committee to defend against a complaint by the 2024 reelection campaign of Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas over his opponent’s advertisements.
The lawsuit seeks a declaration that a federal law shielding the election commission from “presidential coercion and control” is constitutional, and to block Trump’s February 18 order.
