The U.S. Office of Special Counsel released a report Tuesday that at least 13 officials in the Trump administration who campaigned for him in the 2020 election violated the law.
The 63-page report details how these officials allegedly used their position to either campaign or support President Donald Trump in 2020. If true, they would have broken the Hatch Act of 1939, which forbids any person in the executive branch (except the president and vice president) from using their position to influence an election, according to the report.
“The president’s refusal to require compliance with the law laid the foundation for the violations,” the report reads. “In each of these instances, senior administration officials used their official authority or influence to campaign for President Trump. Based upon the Trump administration’s reaction to the violations, OSC concludes that the most logical inference is that the administration approved of these taxpayer-funded campaign activities.”
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The 13 officials listed include Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, acting Homeland Security Chief Chad Wolf, Senior Counselor Kellyanne Conway, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, and national security adviser Robert O’Brien. The officials either voiced support for Trump’s reelection or spoke publicly at the Republican National Convention, the report details.
During a press conference on Aug. 5, 2020, Trump allegedly said, “There is no Hatch Act because it doesn’t pertain to the president,” according to the report. The report claims the officials are unlikely to receive punishment, as the sitting president is the only one who can take action against officials in their administration.
“Where, as happened in the Trump administration, the White House chooses to ignore the Hatch Act’s requirements, there is currently no mechanism for holding senior administration officials accountable for violating the law,” the report reads.
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Similar accusations have been made about the Biden administration.
The special counsel’s office gave Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge a warning in March when she weighed in on the possibility the Democrats could win the 2022 Senate rate in Ohio, prompting an apology from Fudge.
In October, a watchdog group filed a complaint that White House press secretary Jen Psaki violated the law by endorsing Democrat Terry McAuliffe for Virginia governor, according to the Washington Post.
