The Hatch Act
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Trump HUD official fined and barred from federal work over Hatch Act violation
A former Housing and Urban Development official and Trump family associate has been fined and barred from federal work for violating the Hatch Act's prohibition of use of official authority after she blurred the lines between official business and politics by producing a video for the 2020 Republican convention.
The US Office of Special Counsel announced Tuesday that Lynne Patton had "improperly harnessed the authority of her federal position to assist the Trump campaign in violation of the Hatch Act" when she was HUD regional administrator and that she had admitted to violating the act when she produced a video about housing conditions for the Republican National Convention. In the settlement agreement, Patton will receive a $1,000 civil fine and is prevented from working as a federal employee for 48 months.
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That wasn't worth the prosecution.
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@jolly said in The Hatch Act:
That wasn't worth the prosecution.
Speakers at the 2012 DNC Convention
Secretary of HHS Sebelius
Sec Interior Salazar
Sec Ag Vilsack
Sec Ed Duncan
Sec Veterans' Affairs Shinseki
Sed SBA MillsJust sayin'
Oh, and remember when heads exploded about Pompeo speaking last year?
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Way back when:
The Office of Special Counsel recommended Thursday that Kellyanne Conway be fired from the federal government for violating the Hatch Act on “numerous occasions.”
The Hatch Act is a federal law that limits certain political activities of federal employees.
The OSC, which is separate from the office with a similar name previously run by Robert Mueller, said in a scathing report released Thursday that White House Counselor Conway violated the Hatch Act by “disparaging Democratic presidential candidates while speaking in her official capacity during television interviews and on social media.
“Ms. Conway’s violations, if left unpunished, would send a message to all federal employees that they need not abide by the Hatch Act’s restrictions. Her actions thus erode the principal foundation of our democratic system—the rule of law,” the OSC said in a statement Thursday, noting that Conway has been a “repeat offender.”
But the White House showed no sign of taking action against Conway in response, calling the OSC ruling “unprecedented” and suggesting it was politically influenced.
Will they prosecute this guy?
Nah...
Dear Mr. Hamilton:
This letter responds to a complaint you filed with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) alleging that White House Chief of Staff Ronald Klain violated the Hatch Act when he retweeted a message on his official Twitter account that solicited political contributions to a partisan political group. Although OSC has concluded that Mr. Klain violated the Hatch Act, as explained below, we have decided not to pursue disciplinary action and instead issued him a warning letter.
As White House Chief of Staff, Mr. Klain is subject to the provisions of the Hatch Act.1 The Hatch Act prohibits employees from, among other things, using their official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election and knowingly soliciting, accepting, or receiving political contributions from any person.2 An employee would violate these prohibitions while using social media by, for example, engaging in political activity on an official account or liking, sharing, or retweeting a post that solicits political contributions.3
OSC confirmed that Mr. Klain retweeted a May 22, 2022 message from Strike PAC (@StrikePAC) from his official Twitter account (@WHCOS). The tweet read, “Operation Fly Formula delivers 70,000 pounds of infant formula for American mothers and their infants. Thank you @POTUS.” The tweet also read, “Get your Democrats Deliver merch today!” and included a link to Strike PAC’s online store and an image of the group’s “Democrats Deliver” t- shirt. -
I can see the idea behind the Hatch act, but it's a really difficult line to draw when it comes to things like POTUS doing campaign stops on Air Force One and a host of other things vs actually "governing."
But, if you're going to enforce it, be consistent.
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White House to OSC - Middle Finger
The White House will continue to use the term "MAGA" a week after the independent Office of Special Counsel (OSC) declared that doing so is a violation of the Hatch Act, according to a new memo obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: Since last year, White House officials have repeatedly labeled GOP members in Congress as "MAGA Republicans" as part of a larger strategy to cast them as out of touch and extreme.
State of play: On June 7, in response to a watchdog complaint about press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's use of "MAGA Republicans," the OSC ruled that she violated the Hatch Act, which governs how federal employees can weigh in on political activities.
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On the same day, the OSC sent guidance to agencies which stated that "MAGA" was off-limits because it was too closely connected with former President Trump's campaign for the White House.
"* MAGA remains the campaign slogan of a current candidate for partisan political office, and therefore, its use constitutes political activity," the OSC wrote in the memo. -
"Accordingly, federal employees should not use “MAGA” or “Make America Great Again” while on duty, in the workplace, or when acting in their official capacity, including communicating through social media, email, or on government websites."
The big picture: The Hatch Act is widely viewed as unenforceable for high-ranking White House officials (other federal employees can face real disciplinary action). -
At least 13 Trump administration officials violated the Hatch Act during the former president's term, including when the 2020 Republican National Convention was held in large part on White House grounds.
Between the lines: The Biden administration has largely been careful to avoid violating the Hatch Act, but the White House is continuing to use the term.
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On Wednesday, the White House released a statement to Axios that continued to use "MAGA."
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Deputy press secretary Andrew Bates wrote in a memo that Republicans’ "main economic agenda item" is "MAGA tax welfare for the richest Americans and giant corporations, at the expense of continuing to grow our economy by investing in America."
The White House declined to further comment, but Jean-Pierre offered a defense on Tuesday at her briefing. -
"If you look at the archived Trump White House website, it contains about 2,000 — nearly 2,000 uses of “MAGA” to describe policies and official agendas," she said.
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"Congressional Republicans have also used “MAGA” to refer to policies and official agenda frequently, for years now — even, clearly, before we entered the administration."
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