NEW YORK: At least 13 former Trump administration officials violated the law by combining campaigning with their official government duties, according to a new federal investigation released Tuesday.
The Office of Special Counsel’s report stated that officials broke the law without consequence and with the approval of the applause as part of a willful disregard for the Hatch Act, which allows government officials to use their official authority to influence elections. Prevents the use of roles, including supporting candidates while acting. in their official capacities.
The cumulative effect of these repeated and public violations was to undermine public confidence in the non-partisan operation of government, he wrote, adding that such open and unpunished violations destroy the key foundations of our democratic system.
The office investigated officials’ comments in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election, including the Republican National Convention, which was held at the White House in a major break from historic norms.
While the Office of the Special Counsel concluded that hosting the event at the White House itself does not violate the Hatch Act, it did find several other instances where Trump officials promoted the former president’s reelection in media interviews, which they appeared in their given official capacity.
Cited officials include former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, Jared Kushner, who served as a senior adviser to the president, former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, Kellyanne Conway, then-advisor to the president, Stephen Miller, who served as Trump’s advisor. acted as. Senior Policy Advisor, and Robert O’Brien, former National Security Advisor. Conway was cited repeatedly by the office, which at one point went so far as to call for her removal.
In each case, the subject officer was identified by his official title, discussed administration policies and priorities related to his official duties, and/or spoke from White House grounds, the report read.
The investigation also found that then-Secretary of State Michael Pompeo changed State Department policy to allow himself to speak at Trump’s conference and then referred to official work in his speech. And it was found that Chad Wolf, then Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, had violated the Hatch Act by presiding over a naturalization ceremony that was arranged for conference programming.
Both reflect the Trump administration’s willingness to manipulate government business for partisan political ends, the report said, adding that, while many of these violations occurred, the administration’s willful disregard for the law was particularly was harmful.
The report said the office repeatedly warned Trump White House officials about their violations, but the former president who is responsible for enforcing the law for high-ranking officials never bothered to do so. Picked up
Given the limited power the office has to enforce breaches, the report suggested possible changes to the law, including a statutory amendment that would allow it to allow Senate-confirmed presidential appointments and commission officers, as well as greater The probe will allow to recover the power. He also recommended an amendment to clarify which areas of the White House should be excluded from the range of political activity.
(T)he 2020 election showed that, at least with respect to the senior most officials in an administration, the Hatch Act is only as effective as the White House decides. Where, as is the case here, the White House chooses to ignore the requirements of the Hatch Acts, then the American public is left with no protection against senior administrative officials who, in violation of the law, exercise their official authority for partisan political gain. use, it reads.
The non-profit watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), said the report underscores the need for better enforcement.
This report confirms that keeping Donald Trump in office was nothing less than a systematic co-optation of the federal government’s powers,” said group president Noah Buchbinder. “Congress needs to act now. So that this should never happen again.
Disclaimer: This post has been self-published from the agency feed without modification and has not been reviewed by an editor
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