Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R), who was picked by President Donald Trump to lead a commission to investigate voter fraud, said not even he knows whether Trump’s claim that 3 million to 5 million people voted illegally last year is true.
The comment is notable because Kobach has long pushed restrictive voting measures and has stoked fears of voter fraud, even though numerous investigations have found it’s not a widespread problem.
“The commission isn’t being put in place to prove or disprove that,” Kobach said in an interview Friday on MSNBC. “We may never know whether that’s true or not.”
Trump has claimed repeatedly, with no evidence, that he would have won the popular vote in the presidential election if not for massive election fraud. He also suggested an investigation by conservative anti-fraud group True the Vote would vindicate his claim, but the group recently scaled back its probe amid financial woes.
The Kobach-led presidential commission on election integrity this week asked every state to hand over data on registered voters. At least five states are refusing.
Critics say the commission is a pretext to justify Trump’s claims and will lay the groundwork for additional repressive voting laws. Trump on Thursday appointed Hans von Spakovsky, another prominent voice stoking fears of voter fraud, to the commission.
Before You Go
