Democrats Want Republican National Convention Investigated For Violations Of Hatch Act

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are calling for an investigation into the Republican National Convention, alleging that several of the speakers violated the Hatch Act, the Associated Press reported.

The Hatch Act, passed in 1939, is intended to prevent Executive Branch employees from engaging in political activity in their official capacities. Further, as NPR News reported, federal officials can’t use federal buildings for their political activities. The law exempts the president and vice president.

However, the committee alleged that throughout the Republican Convention, Trump administration officials “repeatedly used their official positions and the White House itself to bolster President Trump’s re-election campaign,” according to a letter sent to the independent Office of Special Counsel (OSC). The OSC is an independent agency with prosecutorial and investigative and powers that allow it to oversee Executive Branch officials — powers that include monitoring for violations of the Hatch Act.

The committee pointed to several specific instances that they claimed violated the law. For example, acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf appeared in a video of a naturalization ceremony on White House grounds led by Donald Trump. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke to the convention through a video link while in Israel on official travel. And multiple administration officials spoke from the White House when giving their speeches.

“We are alarmed that President Trump and some senior administration officials are actively undermining compliance with — and respect for — the law,” the letter reads.

In addition, the letter alleged that career Executive Branch employees were “pressured” to organize and participate in these events, possibly exposing them to criminal penalties in the process.

The missive also noted that federal employees have “faced severe consequences” for activities that were much less egregious than what went on during the convention. Specifically, a Defense Logistics Agency employee who included the phrase “Vote Republican” in a PowerPoint presentation was suspended for 30 days without pay, and a Department of Energy employee was forced to resign after providing a tour of a federal facility to a congressional candidate.

The Trump administration has butted up against the Hatch Act before. For example, in 2019, White House special adviser Kellyanne Conway was cited by the OSC for Hatch Act violations, which recommended that she be fired. That did not happen, and when asked about it later, she appeared to brush it off.

“Blah, blah, blah. If you’re trying to silence me through the Hatch Act, it’s not going to work. Let me know when the jail sentence starts,” she said at the time.