Benjamin Hovland was pushed out of the Election Assistance Commission by the Trump administration in 2026.
Posted by IHIP News, Checked
- Sources
- 5 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 95%
IHIP NewsSep 20, 2026
Multiple reliable sources, including Reuters and a Congressional Research Service product, report that the Trump administration fired Benjamin Hovland from the Election Assistance Commission on July 9, 2026. The claim matches the post's wording ('this year' means 2026), and the EAC's own page confirms his service ended July 9, 2026.
What was said
… He didn't have that before. He had to rely upon these one sixers on the ground. Now he's got government, and he's still trying to sow as much distrust as possible. Benjamin Hovland, former commissioner of the Election Assistance Commission, who was pushed out by the Trump administration this year, said, What you're seeing is using the apparatus of government, using federal agencies, using taxpayer dollars to push that narrative that only undermines confidence in our democracy and ultimately hurts voters and election officials. …
IHIP News · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Reuters reports that Trump terminated the last three EAC members on July 9, 2026, with the two Democratic appointees fired by White House email.[1]
Supports. The Congressional Research Service states that Commissioners Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland were notified of their dismissals by email from the Executive Office of the President.[2]
Supports. ProPublica reports that Trump fired Benjamin Hovland and Thomas Hicks, citing multiple sources, and that the White House said the Slaughter decision gave the president authority to do so.[4]
Supports. The EAC's official biography of Hovland states he served as a commissioner until July 9, 2026, consistent with the firing.[3]
Supports. NBC News reports the White House ousted the Democratic commissioners, Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland, by email on July 9, 2026.[5]
Context. Hovland himself told NPR-affiliate TPR that he received a termination email at an airport, confirming the dismissal in his own account.[6]
Sources
6 sources: 1 fact-checker, 2 primary, 2 tier 2, 1 not rated
- 1Trump fires Election Assistance Commission members ahead of midtermsreuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2Commission Without Commissioners: The U.S. Election Assistance Commissioncongress.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 3Commissioner Benjamin Hovlandeac.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 4Trump Pushes Out Remaining Members of Bipartisan Election Commission Ahead of Midtermspropublica.org · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 5Trump ousts Election Assistance Commission members ahead of ...nbcnews.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 6Former member of federal Election Assistance Commission speaks out after dismissaltpr.org · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
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