Two nonprofit groups have filed Hatch Act complaints against three Trump administration department heads for campaigning alongside Sen. Dan Sullivan, an Alaska Republican seeking reelection.
Democracy Defenders Fund and Reporters Without Borders filed the complaint against Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
The Hatch Act bars most federal employees from using their official titles or authority for political purposes, or from engaging in political activity while on duty or in a federal building. Off the clock, most may attend rallies and campaign for candidates.
People were interested in these podcasts
Last week, the three Trump administration officials joined President Trump at a rally in Wasilla, Alaska, in support of Mr. Sullivan’s campaign.
Mr. Carr was the only one to say he was speaking in his “personal capacity,” adding that he was committed to working with Mr. Sullivan to get “every single person in Alaska connected to high-speed internet.”
“His short remarks were focused on past and pending work of the FCC. Chairman Carr repeatedly referred to ‘we’ — apparently referring to the Trump administration — when discussing programs related to broadband access in Alaska,” the complaint reads.
SEE ALSO: Alaska buzzkill? Vote counting could leave Senate race undecided for weeks
Mr. Carr “impermissibly mixed his official work into his personal remarks,” the organizations said.
Clayton Weimers, executive director of Reporters Without Borders North America, singled out Mr. Carr, saying his participation in the rally was “a shocking new low for his politicization of the office.”
“He must face sanctions for this obvious Hatch Act violation,” Mr. Weimers said in a statement. “Brendan Carr has annihilated any sense of independence the FCC once had, turning it into a political weapon to punish anyone President Trump sees as an enemy.”
The complaint also alleged that the president introduced Mr. Burgum and Mr. Lutnick by their official titles.
It said that by “failing to correct the impression that each was speaking officially,” the two men appear to use their official positions while engaged in political activity.
The complaint asked the U.S. Office of Special Counsel to investigate and to take appropriate action if they violated the Hatch Act.
An Interior Department spokesperson disputed the complaint.
“This is an absurd attempt by a leftist group that is led by an Obama-era political appointee to push baseless claims,” the spokesperson said in a statement to The Washington Times. “Secretary Burgum attended in his personal capacity, which is in full compliance with DOJ guidance and the Hatch Act.”
The Times also reached out to the FCC and the Commerce Department.
Penalties for Hatch Act violations include removal from federal service, debarment from federal employment for up to five years, suspension, reprimand or a maximum civil penalty of $1,000.
Co-founder of Democracy Defenders Fund Norman Eisen said that the Trump administration “keeps testing the boundaries of our democratic guardrails, and this is just the latest example.”
“There are laws about what political appointees can and cannot do,” he said in a statement. “Appointees can’t just mix official and political activity, and they can’t lean on their official responsibilities to support a political candidate.”
Contact the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.