DNC sues over Trump order to expand White House control of independent agencies

National Democrats on Friday sued over President Trump's executive order aiming to expand the White House's control over various independent regulatory agencies.

The Democratic Party's three national political committees contend that Trump's order could preclude independent agencies from taking legal positions that don't align with the president's views.

They wrote in their complaint that the Watergate scandal resulted in a "bipartisan recognition" that federal campaign finance rules must be neutrally enforced. But Trump's executive order threatens to undercut that consensus and leave judgment to a "single partisan political figure —the President of the United States."

"This abrupt departure from the statutory scheme threatens significant harm to the Democratic Party’s three national political committees," wrote Marc Elias, a lawyer for the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).

The Democrats said that Trump's order would eliminate the Federal Election Campaign Act's (FECA) requirement that the executive branch's legal interpretations of the law reflect the consensus of the Federal Election Commission (FEC), an expert and bipartisan board.

The FEC is led by six commissioners, who are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. However, the commission’s official interpretation of the law must be backed by at least four commissioners and no more than three of them may be affiliated with the same political party.

The order stands to let Trump, the head of the Republican Party, dictate legal interpretations that could impact complaints against Democrats, they argued.

The lawsuit seeks to dismantle Trump's executive order by prompting the courts to uphold FECA, including its provisions that shield the FEC from presidential control.

The three national political committees' chairs said in a joint statement that Democrats would use "every tool at our disposal" to confront Trump's "illegal actions in the courts."

“Americans are legally guaranteed fair elections with impartial referees – not a system where Donald Trump can dictate campaign rules he wants from the White House," said DNC Chair Ken Martin, DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene and DSCC Chair Kirsten Gillibrand.

Updated at 2:15 p.m. EST

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