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For Immediate Release
Contact: Email:,press@lawyerscommittee.org

National Civil Rights Groups Condemns President Trump's Statements Regarding Voter ID

Today, Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law issued the following statement in response to President Trump's assertion that shoppers need to show photo ID to buy groceries, in an effort to promote restrictive Voter ID laws:

WASHINGTON

Today, Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law issued the following statement in response to President Trump's assertion that shoppers need to show photo ID to buy groceries, in an effort to promote restrictive Voter ID laws:

"What we saw yesterday is beyond the pale. President Trump well knows the power and influence that he holds when standing behind that podium and speaking to the public. Unsubstantiated claims and falsehoods stand to spread like wildfire, distorting public opinion and prompting local officials to put in place unnecessary barriers to the ballot box.

"Moreover, this was President Trump seeking to achieve what he could not through his now defunct Election Integrity Commission. President Trump has been bent on promoting voter suppression and erecting barriers that make it harder for our nation's most vulnerable communities to vote.

"President Trump's statements are also fully at odds with the evidence. Data makes clear that strict voter ID laws have a negative impact on the most vulnerable of Americans, including African Americans, Latinos, low-income people and other people on the margins."

About 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. Now in its 55th year, the Lawyers' Committee is continuing its quest to "Move America Toward Justice." 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 criminal justice, fair housing and community development, economic justice, educational opportunities, and voting rights. For more information, please visit https://lawyerscommittee.org

The Lawyers' Committee is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to enlist the private bar's leadership and resources in combating racial discrimination and the resulting inequality of opportunity - work that continues to be vital today.

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