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Civil rights activists and Democratic secretaries of state spoke to lawmakers Tuesday at a Democratic forum on President Trump's election commission(Photo: Deborah Barfield Berry, USA TODAY)

WASHINGTON On the eve of the first meeting of President Trumps voter fraud commission, Democrats and civil rights groups were busy trying to get Congress to pull the plug on the group.

Democrats hosted a forum on Capitol Hill on Tuesday,one of several efforts in recent weeks to block Trumps new commission, which is slated to hold its firstmeeting Wednesdayin Washington.

Our democracy is under siege," saidRep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, a former chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus. We know that race trumps all. We are being attacked by the White House ...There is no democracy in the world that tries to keep people from votingbut this one.

A coalition of civil rights and voting rights groups, including some from the hip hop music community, plan to hold a rally outside the White House on Wednesday morning to protest the group.

Trump set up the commission to study allegations of voter fraud in last years presidential election. Trump claims last years election included up to 3 million to 5 million fraudulent voters.

Supporters of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity,' mostly Republicans, said it will look at practices that undermine confidence in federal elections, including rampant voter fraud.

The presidents committed to the thorough review of registration and voting issues in federal elections, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said earlier this year.

Top Democrats on key committees, including Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, also wrote a letter Tuesday to Vice President Pence asking him to remove Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach as the commissions vice chairman and to drop the groups recent request to state election officials for detailed voter information.

Thompson, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, Michigan Rep. John Conyers, the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, and others told Pence they were worried the request for voter data would undermine the integrity of the commission. They said they were alsoconcerned the commission could be used a tool for voter suppression."

The right to vote is at the foundation of our nations democracy, said Conyers, who led theforum. We cannot stand idly by while this most precious right that so many have fought and died for is attacked by the head of our own government."

Read more:

Democrats aim to block funding for Trump's election commission

'What are they trying to hide?' Trump slams election officials over voter data request

Trump voter fraud panel may spark partisan voting rights battle

Tuesday's forum featured voting rights activists and Democratic state election officials who called the commission a sham and said it should be disbanded. They said the commission is determined to restrict more voter access to the polls.

This commission is just getting started,"said Wade Henderson, former head of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition of about 200 civil rights groups. Its abundantly clear that we must be vigilant about its actions every step of the way."

In recent weeks, several voting rights groups have filed lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the commission among other things.

Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, whose group was among those filing a lawsuit, complained the commissions work has been shrouded in secrecy.

The right to vote is sacred, but is clearly under attack, Clarke said Tuesday.

The Democratic National Committee recently set up its own commission to counter Trumps panel.

Last week, several Democrats including Rep. Cedric Richmond of Louisiana and Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Mazie Hirono of Hawaiiintroduced a bill to block funding for the commission. They acknowledge it doesnt stand a chance in the Republican-controlled Congress.

Still, said Booker, It would be highly irresponsible for senators or congressional members to remain silent.

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Sen. Mazie Hirono, a Democrat from Hawaii, discuss their bill that would block funding for President Trump's election commission.(Photo: Deborah Barfield Berry, USA TODAY)

Dozens of Democratic and Republican state election officials have refused to comply with all or part of the commissions request to provider voter information. The commission put the request on hold as it faces legal challenges.

David Becker, who heads the Center for Election for Election Innovation and Research and has been working with voter files for a decade, saidWednesday's meeting is an opportunity for the commission to explain, at the most basic level, what its mission is.

Most of the commissioners have been absolutely silent, he said. Part of that is because theres a significant number of them who dont have any experience or know anything about election administration at all.

Contributing: Heidi Przybyla, USA TODAY

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Democrats, civil rights group aim to block Trump election commission - USA TODAY

Nearly two dozen House Democrats are asking the FBI to review Ivanka Trump's security clearance as a presidential adviser, Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., announced Wednesday morning.

Beyer is spearheading the call for a review.

The lawmakers suggest that Ivanka's SF-86 form, like that of husband and President Trump senior adviser Jared Kushner, may not have properly listed his meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya or Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak -- nor any other foreign contacts either may have had.

Despite the lawmakers' request, there is no indication that Ivanka's form was not in compliance. They are merely asking for a review. It does, however, underscore the intensifying scrutiny on the first daughter and her husband over the Russia contacts.

The authority to grant or revoke security clearance to senior staff in the West Wing ultimately rests with President Trump.

"As a member of the White House staff and close adviser to the president, Ms. Trump applied for a security clearance, and, as a result, was required to disclose her own foreign contacts as well as those of her spouse and siblings," reads the letter, addressed to FBI Acting Director Andrew McCabe, made available by Beyer's office.

The letter continues, "We learned last week that Ms. Trump's husband, Jared Kushner, and brother Donald Trump Jr. met with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya and others, including a former Russian counter intelligence officer ... Since his first filing, Mr. Kushner has had to update his SF-86 multiple times to reflect over 100 meetings or phone calls, including with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak and Russian banker Sergey Gorkov, according to reports."

The 22 lawmakers, according to the letter, "are concerned that Ivanka Trump may have engaged in similar deception. For example, did she disclose her husband's meeting with Kislyak and Gorkov? Did she disclose her brother's and husband's meeting with Veselnitskaya? Did she accurately disclose her own foreign contacts in her initial filing, which reports suggest may be numerous? If in fact she did accurately disclose these meetings, who at the White House knew of Mr. Kushner's and Mr. Trump Jr's multiple contacts with Russian officials before they were made public? And, most importantly, did she discuss any of these meetings with the President, and, if so, when?"

The letter was signed by Democratic Reps. Zoe Lofgren (Calif.), Jackie Speier (Calif.), Jamie Raskin (Maryland), Ted Lieu (Calif.), Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.), Peter Welch (Vt.), Joseph Kennedy (Mass.), Barbara Lee (Calif.), Frank Pallone (N.J.), Nydia Velazquez (N.Y.), Pramila Jayapal (Wash.), Alcee Hastings (Fla.), Sheila Jackson Lee (Texas), Steve Cohen (Tenn.), Hank Johnson (Ga.), Jim McGovern (Mass.), Alma Adams (N.C.), Marcy Kaptur (Ohio), Donald Payne Jr. (N.J.), Bonnie Watson Coleman (N.J.), and David Price (N.C.).

ABC News reached out to the White House for comment.

ABC News' Mariam Khan contributed to this report.

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Democrats want FBI to review Ivanka Trump's security clearance - ABC News

MSNBC

White House blames Democrats for Trumpcare's collapse MSNBC Democrats have effectively no role in the federal policymaking process in the case of this health care bill, they couldn't even filibuster which is controlled by a Republican House, Republican Senate, and Republican White House. And yet, Trump ... White House's Sanders slams Democrats, pledges health care action at off-camera briefingPolitico Sarah Huckabee Sanders: Democrats are responsible for health care failuresSalon Huckabee Sanders: Democrats Responsible for Health Reform FailureWashington Free Beacon TPM -Common Dreams all 100 news articles »

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White House blames Democrats for Trumpcare's collapse - MSNBC

The Tuesday Group and New Democrats met on Tuesday, bringing together moderate members of both parties to talk about areas that may be ripe for bipartisanship.

We talked about budget, we talked about health care, we talked about tax reform all with the intent of finding ways where there might be common ground, New Democrats Chairman Jim Himes told Roll Call.

The Connecticut Democrat said this is the second meeting the groups have held together this Congress and that it was coincidentally timed after the GOPs partisan approach to health has stalled in the Senate. Himes said he was hopeful but not optimistic that failure will lead to bipartisan action on health care.

Health care is such a freighted religious issue for people that I dont think a failure on the Senate side leads to next week kumbayas and bipartisan action. I think its much more likely on infrastructure, potentially on tax reform. But you got to start somewhere.

Himes criticized President Donald Trump for trying to label Democrats as obstructionists when Republicans were the ones who decided to take a partisan approach to health care.

Republicans in Congress set health care up to move through reconciliation, he said. That is telling us to go pound sand in advance. That is not a good way to get us on board.

The Tuesday Group/New Democrats lunch exemplifies how legislation should be produced, Himes said, noting, Resilient legislation is bipartisan.

Tuesday Group Co-Chairman Charlie Dent, who wasn't at the lunch because he was at an appropriations markup, said earlier in the day he didn't think the Senate's repeal only, partisan approach was a good approach, and suggested a bipartisan approach was the way to go.

"I think that probably wouldn't be a very wise strategy here...we're going to have to fix what's broken here," the Pennsylvania Republican said about the repeal only strategy.

A handful of New Democrats members last week unveiled a set of policy proposals aimed at stabilizing health insurance markets.

Himes said the New Democrats shared the proposals, which he noted are designed to be bipartisan, with the Tuesday Group members during their meeting.

Kellie Mejdrich contributed to this story.

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New Democrats, Tuesday Group Meet to Pursue Common Ground - Roll Call

July 18, 2017, 12:37 p.m.

House Democrats are willing to come to the table on healthcare if Republicans abandon their attempt to do it alone, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco)said in a letter to Speaker Paul Ryan (D-Wis.) on Tuesday.

"Democrats extend the hand of friendship if Republicans will set aside repeal, abandon cuts to Medicaid, and abandon huge tax breaks for the wealthy," Pelosi states.

With the GOP healthcare bill seemingly dead in the Senate, and senatorsunwilling to consider a straight repeal of the Affordable Care Act, many on Capitol Hill are wondering what will happen next to President Obama's signature healthcare law that Republicans have pledged to kill for nearly a decade.

The overture from Pelosi doesn't include many details on what she thinks the next moves should be, exceptthat they should begin before Congress leaves for its August recess.

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Nancy Pelosi: Democrats are willing to work with Republicans on healthcare fixes - Los Angeles Times