House Democrats Seek Hatch Act Probes of GOP Convention

The House Oversight Committee has asked the Office of Special Counsel to Open numerous Hatch Act Investigations connected to the just-finished Republican National Convention.

In a Scathing Letter to the Office, House Oversight Chair, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY, 12th District) and my Representative, said the White House 'staged' a Pardon and Naturalization Ceremony as Part of the Convention, and sought Probes of Taxpayer-Funded Employees who may have Participated. She also Singled-Out Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo's Speech, to the Convention from Jerusalem, on an Official Government Trip.

Throughout the Convention, Administration officials repeatedly used their official positions and the White House itself to bolster President Trump’s reelection campaign. The Trump Administration staged a pardon and naturalization ceremony in order to use video of the event during the Convention later that day, they repeatedly used the White House for Convention speaking engagements, and Secretary of State Michael Pompeo engaged in political activity speaking at the Convention while on official travel abroad. Maloney and fellow Democratic Subcommittee Chairmen wrote.

Maloney wants the Office to Probe numerous Activities which she says could be Violations of the Law. The Hatch Act, which does Not Apply to the President or Vice President, Prohibits Government Employees from Engaging in Politics on the Job, though it provides Exceptions and lets People engage in Political Activities on Personal Time. The Hatch Act Prohibits Executive Branch Employees from using their “official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election," the Letter notes.

The Democrats wrote the Head of the Office of Special Counsel, which has Oversight of the Hatch Act, that First Lady Melania Trump, spoke from the White House Rose Garden, and Vice President, Mike Pence, spoke from Fort McHenry, a Federal Park in Baltimore, for his Convention Speech.

The Convention featured Trump, Acting Homeland Security Chief, Chad Wolf, Swearing-In Five New U.S. citizens at the White House, and Trump Granting a Presidential Pardon in a Pre-Taped Video showed at the Convention. It also featured Trump issuing a 'Surprise' Pardon of Three-Time Felon Jon Ponder.

We are particularly concerned with the consequences of White House actions on career employees who may have felt pressured to help organize and put on these events, potentially subjecting them to legal jeopardy, wrote Maloney.

The Pardon Ceremony appeared to have been planned and designed as content for the Convention broadcast in support of President Trump’s reelection campaign. We are concerned that White House officials who are subject to the Hatch Act may have assisted in planning and carrying out these actions in a manner that violated the law, Maloney wrote.

The White House has said they were Official Events and were Allowable, and that the Video was Available on a Public Website beforehand. It also said Steps were Taken to hold Events in Allowable Parts of the White House Complex.

The Letter also says HUD Official, Lynne M. Patton, a Trump Family Loyalist, may have misused her official position for political purposes when she Oversaw Production of a scathing Video Segment that Interviewed Public Housing Tenants and Bashed New York Mayor, Bill de Blasio, a Trump Rival. Some of the People Interviewed said afterward they had No Idea they were Contributing to the GOP Convention.

President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump gave addresses on the White House ground. There were also multiple pre-recorded segments filmed in the White House. These segments include President Trump speaking with former hostages and Americans impacted by coronavirus. These segments raise serious questions about the use of White House employees and resources in coordinating and executing Convention programming, Maloney wrote.

The Letter was Signed by: Maloney; Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA, 8th District), and 5th Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI).










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