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On Thursday, Governor Ron DeSantis appointed four new members to the Florida Election Commission. The newly appointed Chair, Chad Mizelle, has ties to former president Donald Trump.
Chad Mizelle served in numerous federal roles under former President Trump. Florida Politics reports he currently works at an investment firm founded by Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
During Trump’s presidency, Mizelle was the acting chief of staff and general counsel of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Associate Counsel to the President, and counsel to the Deputy Attorney General.
Trump was indicted on felony charges in August for working to overturn the results of the 2020 election. He’s repeatedly denied the results of that election.
Nikki Fried, chair of the Florida Democratic Party, says the appointment of Mizelle to the election commission is a cause for concern.
“Ron DeSantis’s ability to appointment obvious partisan hacks to these very important commissions, whether it is the ethics commission or elections commission, it is very important to make sure that there’s balance, and that people trust that they’re going to have a fair shake and that their elections are going to continue to be fair, open, and transparent.”
All appointments are subject to Senate approval.
