A Democratic member of the Federal Election Commission (FEC), Ann Ravel, handed in her resignation letter to President Trump on Sunday.

Her last day will be March 1.

In her letter, Ravel reminded Trump of his campaign-trail criticism of campaign finance and his decision to self-fund his bid for the GOP nomination.

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She also condemned the effect the Supreme Court Citizens United decision had on campaign finance. The ruling lifted caps on political spending by corporations and labor organizations.





“Our campaign finance system should promote citizen engagement and participation in the political process instead of disenchantment with democracy. People from all walks of life should be able to run for office without having to seek out wealthy donors, or be wealthy themselves, to win,” she wrote in the letter, published to Medium. “And, all political spending should be transparent to encourage trust in our political system.”

In an interview with the New York Times, Ravel said the gridlock of the commission, with three Democrats and three Republicans, contributed to her decision to end her term two months early. Many commissioners stay past the end of their terms because of the difficulty in picking a replacement, the Times noted.

“The ability of the commission to perform its role has deteriorated significantly,” she told the paper. “I think I can be more effective on the outside.”

The Times reported that her departure will likely spark a fight over how to choose her replacement. Traditionally, Senate Democrats would be allowed to pick a successor, but the decision technically belongs to President Trump, as long as he doesn't choose a registered Republican — no party can hold more than three seats on the commission.