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(Washington, D.C.) – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced legislation on Tuesday connecting vital $2,000 stimulus checks for Americans to the creation of a commission to study imagined election illegalities, a move likely designed to derail direct COVID-19 relief. The following is a statement from Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law:

“Leader McConnell’s legislative actions seek to lay the groundwork for a massive, federally-sponsored voter suppression campaign. McConnell is conditioning the receipt of pandemic relief on the establishment of a federal commission that will study so-called vote fraud.

“In no uncertain terms, we object to these nefarious efforts to suppress voting rights in our country. President Trump and his allies mounted dozens of baseless lawsuits attempting to promote a false narrative around alleged voter illegalities. It is clear that Leader McConnell is bent on exploiting his congressional power to resurrect a failed narrative to push laws that would make it harder for people to access the ballot. This is nothing short of a desperate attempt to breathe life into President Trump’s failed narrative while attacking the progress made to ensure access to the ballot during the pandemic. We will fight to ensure that Congress remains focused on passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and other measures that will expand voter access in the road ahead.” 

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The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law – The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. The principal mission of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice for all, particularly in the areas of voting rights, criminal justice, fair housing and community development, economic justice, educational opportunities, and hate crimes.  For more information, please visit https://lawyerscommittee.org.