Story highlights The Kansas secretary of state said the panel will "go where the facts lead" despite critics' concerns

Kobach has repeatedly backed Trump's baseless claim that millions of illegal votes were cast in the 2016 election

Washington (CNN) The Trump administration's new "election integrity" commission "is not set up to prove or to disprove" President Donald Trump's unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud, according to the vice chair of the commission.

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who was tapped to help Vice President Mike Pence lead the panel, defended the commission in an interview on CNN's "New Day" Monday.

Kobach insisted the group will "go where the facts lead us" despite concerns from critics who point out that Kobach repeatedly supported Trump's claim -- made without evidence -- that millions of votes were cast illegally in the 2016 election.

"The commission is not set up to disprove or to prove President Trump's claim, nor is it just looking at the 2016 election. We're looking at all forms of election irregularities, voter fraud, voter registration fraud, voter intimidation, suppression, and looking at the vulnerabilities of the various elections we have in each of the 50 states," Kobach told "New Day" co-host Chris Cuomo.

Kobach said the commission has two goals: a "nationwide fact-finding effort" on voter fraud followed by recommendations to states based on the findings.

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