FIRST ON FOX: A top House Republican is questioning the Department of Justice about what he says is "apparent coordination" with left-wing civil rights groups over its lawsuits against two Republican-led states over efforts to remove non-citizens from its voter rolls.
"The Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government is conducting oversight of the apparent coordination between the Civil Rights Division and left-wing advocacy groups to impede the ability of states to ensure the accuracy of their voter rolls," Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who is chairman of the subcommittee, says in a letter obtained by Fox Digital.
The Department of Justice sued Alabama and Virginia in recent months over their moves to remove non-citizens from the voter rolls. The DOJ has claimed that the states have violated clauses that say states must complete their maintenance program no later than 90 days before an election under a clause known as the Quiet Period Provision.
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"This systematic voter removal program, which the State is conducting within 90 days of the upcoming federal election, violates the Quiet Period Provision," the DOJ said as it filed suit against Virginia.
Virginia has insisted that the state's process is "individualized" and conducted in accordance with state and federal law. A lower court ordered 1,600 individuals to be restored to the voter rolls, but that has since been blocked by the Supreme Court.
The DOJ sued Alabama on similar grounds, alleging that changes to the voter registration lists took place 84 days before Election Day.
"The right to vote is one of the most sacred rights in our democracy," Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said in a statement. "As Election Day approaches, it is critical that Alabama redress voter confusion resulting from its list maintenance mailings sent in violation of federal law."
But Roy says the lawsuits from the DOJ came after lawsuits by left-wing civil rights groups. In the letter, Roy says that the Sept. 27 Alabama lawsuit came weeks after a Sept. 13 lawsuit from a coalition of left-wing civil rights groups. The cases were consolidated on Sept. 28.
In Virginia, a civil rights lawsuit was filed on Oct. 7, and the DOJ filed its lawsuit on Oct. 11.
"The cases involve the same or similar plaintiffs and lawyers and follow a similar pattern with respect to the timing of each complaint. These circumstances raise questions as to whether the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division is working with these groups to file cases to keep noncitizens on voter rolls just before the 2024 election and prevent states from ensuring that only eligible citizens vote in federal elections," Roy says.
He also says the DOJ "did not object to consolidating its cases with those filed by left-wing organizations and attorneys with a public history of opposing bipartisan efforts to prevent noncitizens from voting."
Roy says many of the groups have objected to the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections.
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"The American people deserve to know whether left-wing activist groups are dictating the DOJ’s legal strategy with respect to noncitizens voting in the upcoming election," he writes.
Roy is asking for all documents and communications relating to the lawsuits and any of the civil rights groups involved in the suits, as well as documents to show whether the DOJ plans to file any additional lawsuits against the states.
Virginia was handed a legal victory this week when the Supreme Court halted the lower court's decision to reinstate 1,600 potential noncitizens to the rolls. A divided court granted the state's stay application pending appeal in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday. Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented.
The DOJ said in a statement Wednesday after the Supreme Court's ruling, "The Department brought this suit to ensure that every eligible American citizen can vote in our elections. We disagree with the Supreme Court’s order."
Fox News' Haley Chi-Sing contributed to this report.
