HUD Secretary violated the Hatch Act, Office of Special Counsel concludes [View all]

[DonViejo]

Source: CNN


By Liz Stark, CNN

Updated 8:45 AM ET, Fri May 14, 2021

(CNN) - The US Office of Special Counsel has concluded that Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge violated the Hatch Act, the law that limits the political activities of all federal civilian executive branch employees, when she commented on Ohio politics from the White House podium earlier this year.

Fudge, who joined White House press secretary Jen Psaki at a briefing in March, was asked about the special election to fill her vacant seat in Congress.

Though Fudge declined to weigh in on the House race, she told reporters she thought Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley and US Rep. Tim Ryan, both Democrats, were strong candidates to fill the seat currently occupied by Republican Sen. Rob Portman, who announced in January he would not seek reelection when his current term ends in 2022. Both have since launched campaigns -- Ryan for the Senate seat and Whaley for governor of Ohio.

According to the US Office of Special Counsel, the agency charged with investigating Hatch Act violations, the rule prohibits federal employees from "using their official titles or positions while engaged in political activity," including "any activity directed at the success or failure of a political party, candidate for partisan political office, or partisan political group."

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/14/politics/marcia-fudge-hatch-act-violation/index.html