“I’m glad, because it seemed like it was a distraction to what he hopes to accomplish and Congress hopes to accomplish in the policy realm,” Trey Grayson said. | AP Photo Republicans relieved Trump eased up on voter fraud claims

Prominent Republicans across the country are breathing a sigh of relief that President Donald Trump has so far not aggressively pursued his pledge for a “major investigation” into his allegations of widespread voter fraud that he claims robbed him the popular vote.

Current and former GOP state party chairs and other officials said in interviews that the unverified allegation was at best a distraction and at worst a damaging statement that could erode confidence in elections. And even as Trump continues to make some outrageous claims — including that former President Barack Obama tapped his Trump Tower phones — he’s now directing much of his attention to replacing Obamacare and juicing up the job market.


“I’m glad, because it seemed like it was a distraction to what he hopes to accomplish and Congress hopes to accomplish in the policy realm,” Trey Grayson, former Kentucky secretary of state, said. “There doesn't seem to be strong evidence to defend the claims.”

Trump raised the issue of voter fraud early and often throughout his transition period and his first couple of weeks in office, claiming without evidence that from 3 million to 5 million people voted illicitly in the 2016 election.

While he pledged during his first week in office to ask for a “major investigation into voter fraud” and the White House said he would sign an executive order formally pursuing one, the effort has quietly dropped from sight.

There is still no sign of the commission Trump later asked Vice President Mike Pence to form to investigate the matter on Feb. 5. Aside from a brief mention during White House press secretary Sean Spicer’s Feb. 22 briefing, in which he said Pence was “starting to gather names and individuals to be a part of it,” the administration has been generally mum on the issue.

“Staff is continuing to work to put the framework together for this process,” Pence spokesman Marc Lotter said. “We will let you know when we have additional updates on it.”

Leading conservative organizations focusing on voter fraud at the state level — likely participants in a commission on the issue led by the administration — say they have not been contacted about participating. Neither has Catherine Engelbrecht, the leader of prominent national anti-voter fraud organization True the Vote.

Last week, House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz said his panel would not pursue its own investigation into Trump’s claim as he has not seen the evidence.

Val DiGiorgio, chairman of the Pennsylvania GOP, said that while voter fraud is a “real problem” that should be addressed, there are more pressing issues the administration is facing.

“They’re putting their priorities where they belong: jobs, keeping America safe and getting their administration off to a good start,” he said.

New Hampshire Republicans, in particular, are expressing relief at the development as Trump specifically mentioned their state, alleging voters bused in from Massachusetts cost him and former Sen. Kelly Ayotte victories in the state.

But some Republicans want the White House to retreat even further.

“It would be nice if they would admit they made a bogus claim before moving on, but next to that, the right thing to do is move on,” said Fergus Cullen, former chairman of the New Hampshire Republican party.

Tom Rath, the state’s former attorney general, said the claims have faded from view because they are false.

“I don’t think it was tactical, as opposed to realistic,” he said. “If you’re going to say something like that, you need to have a second act. They didn’t even have the first act.”

Cullen offered $1,000 to anyone who could provide evidence any individual from Massachusetts was bused in to vote, and he says no one has come forward with evidence. He said he did not think the declining focus on voter fraud is symbolic of a more focused administration, especially in light of Trump's accusations that Obama had wiretapped him.

Others were more optimistic that the development represented growth within the administration.

“I’ve been encouraged when I hear the president and his administration focusing on health care, focusing on supplying the military with support they need, focusing on tax reform,” Jennifer Horn, former chairwoman on the New Hampshire GOP, said. “I think the more the administration focuses on these larger issues facing the nation, the better it will be for the president and our nation.”

Matt Strawn, former Iowa GOP chairman, said he was encouraged by the president’s engagement on health care as a sign of the administration's priorities, as Iowans do not see voting fraud as an issue in the state.

“The issue isn’t one I’m hearing is at top of mind for folks in Iowa,” he said. “Their focus is on jobs and the economy.”

State legislatures in a number of states are considering laws that would tighten voting regulations, despite the lack of evidence of in-person voter fraud. Only 31 cases of in-person voter fraud were recorded from 2000 to 2014, according to research from Loyola University law professor Justin Levitt.

John Whitbeck, chairman of the Virginia Republican party, said the issue has not fallen out of the spotlight in his state. Citing a recent Washington Times article, Whitbeck said 9,000 noncitizens were disqualified from jury duty in Loudoun County in Northern Virginia from 2009 to 2014. Since the jury pools come from voter registration lists and driver license applications, Whitbeck said that report was a cause for concern.

“When we lose elections to progressives, it concerns Republicans because there’s always the question of if the integrity of the ballot was kept,” he said. “I hope the president takes a look at it.”

Whitbeck said investigating voter fraud in New Jersey and Virginia, the two states with statewide elections in 2017, should be a priority. However, he understands why the White House has focused on other issues.

“They’re trying to repeal and replace Obamacare, they have the refugee travel issue, there are a lot of things going on right now," he said. "So it’s not surprising this isn’t the No. 1 issue facing the White House."

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Democratic critics of Trump’s White House say they don’t buy the argument that it’s simply other priorities that have pushed a voter fraud investigation onto the back burner.

Jason Kander, the former Missouri secretary of state and Democratic candidate for Senate who is now leading a newly formed voting rights group called Let America Vote, floated the idea that Pence is not enthusiastic about pursuing the probe.

“It seems the VP is so embarrassed by this massive absurd lie he doesn't want to talk about it,” Kander said. “If this was in any way within a country mile of a legitimate claim, [the president] would have asked the DOJ to investigate it instead of a clearly biased political figure.”

Discussions of large-scale voter fraud without any evidence makes it more likely laws will be introduced to fight “what might be a nonexistent problem,” said Ellen Weintraub, a Democratic member of the Federal Election Commission commissioner. These laws may “deter bona-fide U.S. citizens from voting," she added.

Grayson said he was unsure whether there was any type of strategy behind the president’s claims, or if Trump was trying to blow off steam, trying to get more respect for his electoral win, or actually thought there was that much voter fraud. Either way, Grayson said, he was glad the administration has zeroed in on other issues.

“It undermines the confidence we have in our elections,” he said. “I don’t want the president, governors or senators saying things like that, it’s harmful.”