The Republican National Committee was ordered by a federal judge to provide a broad description of any coordination of so-called ballot security measures with Donald Trump's presidential campaign.
The order Wednesday comes in a legal challenge by the Democratic National Committee accusing Republicans of planning widespread voter intimidation at the polls Tuesday in violation of a 1982 settlement agreement prohibiting the party from participating in such activities.
U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez gave the RNC until 5 p.m. Thursday to provide the Democratic National Committee with an affidavit "setting forth in detail defendant's efforts regarding poll watching or poll observation in connection with the 2016 presidential election." The order expanded on an earlier directive for the RNC to turn over any evidence of deals with Trump's campaign for his supporters to stand watch at polling places.
The RNC, trying to refute Democrats' claims in the case, said Trump running mate Mike Pence and his campaign manager Kellyanne Conway had retracted comments that the candidate's campaign and the party were coordinating nationally on "ballot security" measures.
"Governor Pence confirmed that he made the statement based on his incorrect assumptions, and that he has had no contact with the RNC about any ballot integrity program," the RNC said in a court filing in federal court in Newark, N.J. The RNC said Conway said she "has no knowledge of, and knows of no facts indicating, the RNC's involvement in any poll-monitoring activities in any state."
The DNC asked on Oct. 26 for a declaration that the RNC was violating a court order in a case first filed in 1981 that bars it from trying to intimidate minority voters. The DNC had cited remarks by Pence and Conway as evidence of the alleged violation. The order doesn't apply to Trump's campaign.
