Democrats sued President Trump on Friday, claiming that his claims against independent enforcement agencies, including the bipartisan Federal Election Commission, violated federal election laws.
This is the first time the party has sued Trump in his second term, a lawsuit filed jointly by three National Democratic Committees in federal court in Washington, D.C. That comes as Democrats are caught up in internal debates over their strategy to oppose Trump's overhaul of the federal government.
The order said federal agencies cannot interpret the law in a different way than the president or attorney general. The claim effectively brings oversight of the bipartisan Federal Election Commission, which regulates federal agency campaigns under the direct control of the president, Democrats argue.
“The executive order aims to provide President Trump with the ability to order Republican leadership to take a specific position on legal issues arising from the performance of committee duties,” the Democrats' lawsuit states.
The filing also argues that the executive order violates federal election laws and undermines Congress. “This claim is incompatible with being categorized into almost a century of Supreme Court precedents blessings of Congress in order to isolate certain agencies and officials from the day-to-day rule of the President,” the lawsuit states.
Democrats have been constantly debating what they say is an unfair, undemocratic attempt by Republicans to influence the election process. One of the first moves for new DNC chair Ken Martin was to join a lawsuit challenging new election rules backed by Georgia Republicans.
Attorney General Pam Bondy, who was also appointed in the White House and the lawsuit, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
For years, the Federal Election Commission has been criticized as ineffective or toothless.
In the lawsuit, Democrats cite multiple current complaints being heard by the committee, including “ruthless complaints,” which stated that the committee “improperly categorized” four advertisements during the 2024 cycle. The complaint is cited as a potential cause of harm if the committee is restructured under a new executive order.
“Americans are legally guaranteeing fair elections with fair judgements rather than a system in which Donald Trump can determine the campaign rules he wants from the White House,” Martin said in a statement signed by the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair.
