Thread by @ericgeller

New: The Election Assistance Commission's top staffer has slowed work on election security, micromanaged staff, and alienated stakeholders, sources told me.

Brian Newby's behavior is the subject of increasing scrutiny as the EAC's profile rises in D.C.

subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2019/0…

"Constant frustration."

"Zero response to direct questions."

That's how sources described Newby's leadership of the EAC.

When he doesn't answer Qs, staff proceed with work — and sometimes earn reprimands for taking the initiative.

Newby repeatedly describes himself as "the face to other agencies," per a source, and he tells staff that "nobody should be talking to outside entities without his awareness and/or his approval."

This has slowed down the EAC's election security work w/ agencies like NIST & DHS.

Democratic lawmakers active on election security are very concerned about Newby.

@RonWyden told me that if my story is accurate, "Brian Newby should immediately resign."

@RepZoeLofgren said the agency needed "new leadership."

@RonWyden @RepZoeLofgren A big part of the EAC's mission is producing guidance for local election officials.

Newby has occasionally told staff not to work on those documents.

He has also prevented them from traveling to conferences and training sessions — another big part of their mission.

@RonWyden @RepZoeLofgren Newby — who rarely attends events to represent the EAC — is unpopular among election officials, two former officials told me.

“If you asked most people, ‘Does Brian Newby provide value to you in your job?’” one said, “you would probably get, ‘Who’s Brian Newby?’ or ‘No.’”

@RonWyden @RepZoeLofgren Newby's behavior has produced a staff exodus.

Nine EAC office directors have left the agency since he arrived, and employees' leadership satisfaction scores have dropped sharply.

Newby "was a major factor in the majority of the people that have left," one source said.

@RonWyden @RepZoeLofgren The EAC's most visible leaders are its four politically appointed commissioners, but Newby is the staff administrator, managing the career civil servants and interfacing with commissioners.

He's supposed to serve as a buffer between commissioners and employees.

@RonWyden @RepZoeLofgren But Newby hasn't done that, sources said.

Instead, he's acted like a "fifth commissioner," as two sources put it, focusing more on policy than on management.

He's seen as too close to EAC Chairwoman Christy McCormick (who spent years calling Russian hacking a hoax).

@RonWyden @RepZoeLofgren McCormick appears to be laying the groundwork to force through Newby's reappointment when his four-year term expires in November.

She claims the EAC can't create search committees for his replacement until his term expires.

Why does that matter? Well...

@RonWyden @RepZoeLofgren It's a pressure tactic, per a House aide.

If the EAC doesn’t have a list of possible replacements when Newby’s term expires, McCormick can say, "We can't risk a vacancy now. We should just keep Newby."

“She’s creating a fake crisis in order to preserve him,” the aide said.

@RonWyden @RepZoeLofgren My story explains the backstory of Newby's original appointment, which McCormick masterminded over the concerns of former commissioner @mastersonmv.

I also walk through Newby's controversial proof-of-citizenship move and the scandal he left behind in Kansas.

@RonWyden @RepZoeLofgren @mastersonmv I interviewed Newby in his office at the EAC this week. He dodged several questions, saying he couldn't answer them without knowing more details and who had raised the concerns.

But he defended his conduct and said he wanted another term. "I think I’ve done a really good job."

@RonWyden @RepZoeLofgren @mastersonmv "While sources saw Newby's micromanagement (including asking employees to CC him on all emails) as a sign of distrust, he said it was about visibility into work that may require his or commissioners' involvement.

"Of course I’d want to have some insight into what’s going on."

@RonWyden @RepZoeLofgren @mastersonmv There's a lot more in my lengthy story about Newby, which you can read here: subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2019/0…