The White House on Thursday fired the leadership of the federal agency that provides funding and security guidance to election officials, according to sources familiar with the matter and an email reviewed by CNN.

Election Security Concerns

The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) is one of the few remaining federal entities tasked with providing election security support to states. Created by Congress in 2002, the agency is meant to be bipartisan and certifies voting equipment.

The EAC has also been in the awkward position of trying not to draw the president’s ire while also standing up for election officials who have faced violent threats because of conspiracy theories pushed by the president. Some election officials feel the agency has fallen short on the latter.

Adrian Fontes, the Democratic secretary of state of Arizona, said in a statement reacting to the EAC purge, “It is irresponsible and dangerous that this administration remains dead set on causing chaos for our election officials across this country. This move undermines the integrity of nonpartisan election administration.”

Implications and Reactions

A recent Supreme Court decision bolstering a president’s power to fire leaders of independent agencies had many in the election community fearing for the future of the EAC. The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law condemned the firings, noting that they left “the agency without leadership and unable to carry out its major responsibilities.”

Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.