Jefferson County Presiding Probate Judge Alan King, one of the 11 members of a presidential commission looking into possible voter fraud in last year's election, was not aware the panel had been disbanded until President Donald Trump made the public announcement Wednesday.

"This came out of the blue," King told AL.com Wednesday night.

King, the lone Alabama representative and one of several Democrats on the commission, was a frequent critic of the panel. He said any attempt by Trump to continue investigating voter fraud claims would be a "wild goose chase."

King said he expected the committee to bring testimony and evidence to show instances of possible voter fraud, but never saw anything of that nature. "It would be a tremendous burden to prove that." He also said he expected the commission would be professional, transparent, and organized-- but that wasn't the case.

"Throughout my career I have been involved in civic groups, church groups, high school groups, that were run better than this commission. And to say that is a disappointment would be an understatement," he said.

King said the group did not confront important issues in voting, and didn't look at instances of voter suppression. "I don't know what we're supposed to accomplish, and I have been frustrated for a while.

The longtime judge said he thinks the disbandment was a good decision by the president, because the committee is wasting money by investigating something that isn't there.

"If we're going to go down the road of studying issues, let's do it right. Don't just spend a whole lot of taxpayer money... if we're not going to do it right, let's not just do it at all," he said.

In a statement, White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders said Trump signed an executive order asking the Department of Homeland Security to review voter fraud issues and "determine next courses of action."

King disagreed with any further investigations into claims of voter fraud. "I think it's a wild goose chase. I think it's an urban legend that there's widespread voter fraud in the U.S.," he said. "I hope (the Department of Homeland Security and White House officials) will start focus on real issues instead of made-up issues."

Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell, D-Alabama, also a frequent critic of the commission, released a statement Wednesday night on the move by Trump.

"The failure of Trump's sham commission is a blow to the President's unfounded voter fraud claims, but it is a victory for our democracy," Sewell stated. "Trump's sham commission was a threat to voter privacy and to our fundamental right to vote."

"The worst threat to election integrity isn't voter fraud, it is voter suppression. I urge this Administration to refocus its efforts on finding ways to strengthen access to the polls rather than limiting it. As the Department of Homeland Security takes the lead on the President's voter fraud efforts, I will continue to watch this Administration closely for any interference with our right to vote," Sewell stated.

King was appointed to the commission this past summer.

Trump had formed the commission last year in the wake of his baseless claim that he lost the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016 because of millions of illegally cast ballots, The Washington Post reported.

The commission met only twice amid a series of lawsuits seeking to curb its authority and claims by Democrats that it was stacked to recommend voting restrictions favorable to the president's party, the Post reported.

King, who also is the chief election officer for Jefferson County, in a September report let fellow members know how he felt about what he saw as an effort to keep people from voting rather than expanding the right to vote.

"It is my sincere hope and prayer that this Commission will focus on the real election issues facing the United States of America, including alleged 'hacking' by the Russians, instead of spending precious time focusing on non-issues to deprive American citizens from voting," King, a Democrat, stated in his 5-page report to the panel.