Senate Democrats press Trump administration to retain all election-related records

Senate Senate Democrats press Trump administration to retain all election-related records Comments: by Alexander Bolton - 06/26/26 8:24 AM ET Comments: Link copied by Alexander Bolton - 06/26/26 8:24 AM ET Comments: Link copied

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Senate Democrats led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Mark Warner (D-Va.) are pressing the Trump administration to preserve all records related to the 2026 midterm election amid concerns that President Trump may attempt to tamper with voting results.

The Democrats are warning of consequences ahead of November and pointing to actions by senior Trump administration officials that they warn are “interfering with state and local control” of federal elections.

The lawmakers highlighted Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s threat to withhold the delivery of lawful mail-in ballots unless states comply with the administration’s request for states to submit voter lists.

They also raised alarm over “individuals at the Social Security Administration” entering into a “secret agreement to share sensitive data with a partisan advocacy group for partisan political purposes”

Democrats say these actions are part of a broader effort by Trump allies to “take over” the administration of congressional elections, which they argue is in violation of the Elections Clause of the Constitution.

“We write regarding alarming reports that your agencies have taken or are at risk of taking actions under the guise of election security that are improper or illegal; to warn against such violations; and to ensure you adhere to your obligations, and those of all departments, agencies and sub-agencies under your control, to comply with all federal records preservation laws and agency policies,” Schumer, Warner and other Democrats wrote.

They sent the letter to Lutnick as well as to Social Security Administration head Frank Bisignano, Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, among other officials.

Twenty-one Democrats signed the letter.

They also accused Carr of “repeatedly” using his position “to chill disfavored speech” and of making threats to “interfere with candidates’ ability to reach their audiences.”

The Democratic senators suggested Trump and his administration were trying to undermine the election results of the 2020 presidential election by having the FBI search an election center in Fulton County, Ga., where agents seized ballots.

They noted that several bipartisan and nonpartisan investigations have already concluded that there was “no suggestion of criminal conduct” related to the tallying of votes in Fulton County in 2020.

They criticized administration officials of trying to seize control of elections from state officials while largely ignoring the threat of foreign influence in this year’s election.

“We are also deeply troubled by the fact that many of your agencies have failed to address election security altogether. You have shuttered offices tasked with tracking foreign malign influence on elections as well as cyber and physical threats to election infrastructure,” they wrote, citing cuts to Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and FBI election security programs.

“Please take all necessary steps to ensure that employees do not delete or destroy any officials government records, including ‘information created, manipulated, or stored’ electronically,” the group wrote.

They asserted that safeguarding information related to the upcoming election would be critical to future congressional oversight.

“As you know, any employee who conceals, destroys or attempts to conceal or destroy a federal record may be subject to fine and imprisonment,” the letter reads.