Washington, D.C. — Campaign Legal Center (CLC) today sent a letter to the commissioners of the Federal Election Commission (FEC) urging them to “quickly, unanimously and unambiguously reject” President Donald Trump’s unconstitutional attempt to seize the commission’s powers via the executive order (EO) entitled “Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies” — which, if adhered to, would have disastrous effects on our election system.  Issued February 18, this EO claims to require all independent agencies to run all new policies, rulings and regulations by the president.    “President Trump’s executive order is a major abuse of presidential authority that violates the rule of law,” said Trevor Potter, president and founder of Campaign Legal Center and former Republican chairman of the FEC. “Unlike most other federal agencies, the FEC is responsible for enforcing the law against the president as both a candidate and as a holder of federal office. Our election laws help ensure candidates and officeholders are accountable to voters. They also make elections more transparent by helping everyday Americans understand who is trying to influence their vote and elected officials. It is crucial that the agency retain its independence from the White House, so it is able to hold the president — any president — and their political party accountable.”President Trump’s attempt to diminish the independence of independent agencies — essentially turning them into extensions of his White House — is well outside the scope of his power. As the FEC is a rare agency with powers to regulate the president, Congress purposefully did not give the president authority over the agency’s ability to fulfill its statutory duties of interpreting, administering and enforcing federal campaign finance law.When the FEC is unable to enforce the laws that bring transparency to election financing and stop coordination between special interests and candidates, wealthy donors can dominate election spending and exert more influence. In turn, political candidates become even more dependent on wealthy donors.A well-functioning, independent FEC is essential for keeping our democracy in the hands of everyday Americans and preventing wealthy special interests from rigging the system in their favor.###Campaign Legal Center is a nonpartisan legal organization dedicated to solving the wide range of challenges facing American democracy. Founded in 2002, CLC fights for every American’s freedom to vote and participate meaningfully in the democratic process. Learn more about CLC. Don’t miss out on our latest resources: Subscribe to President Trevor Potter’s newsletter on LinkedIn or email, tune in to the latest season of our award-winning podcast, Democracy Decoded, and join our livestreamed events.