• news
  • THURSDAY APRIL 26 2007 11:00 PM

White House Continues to Violate the Hatch Act



The Hatch Act is a New Deal-era federal law that was initially passed to help stem the spread of communism and patronage within the federal government. It prohibits federal employees from engaging in a specific list of political activities. Among them are the following prohibitions

These federal and D.C. employees may not … engage in political activity while:
-on duty
-in a government office
-wearing an official uniform
-using a government vehicle
-wear partisan political buttons on duty


The penalties for violating the Hatch Act are not criminal, but they are clear and stiff.

An employee who violates the Hatch Act shall be removed from their position, and funds appropriated for the position from which removed thereafter may not be used to pay the employee or individual.


The reason I’m bringing this up is because for the second time in three weeks, a scandal has erupted over obvious violations of the Hatch Act. First it was the administration’s use of Republican National Committee e-mail addresses for official federal business. Never one to stop while they were ahead, the White House admitted today that they had as many as 20 briefings for federal employees on certain GOP election prospects while on government time.

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said briefings were held at other federal agencies besides the GSA, for a total of about 20 — most in 2006 and a couple in 2007. They were conducted by White House political director Sara Taylor or Jennings, her deputy. It had been known that other briefings had been held, but not how many.

Others were held in previous years as well, but Stanzel said the White House hasn't kept a count of how many.

Bush spokeswoman Dana Perino said no laws were broken and that the White House counsel's office signed off on the effort.

"It's not unlawful and it wasn't unusual for informational briefings to be given," Perino said. "There is no prohibition under the Hatch Act of allowing political appointees to talk to other political appointees about the political landscape in which they are trying to advance the president's agenda."


Oh, well if White House counsel’s office said it was legal than it must be on the up-and-up, right? They’ve certainly never used a dubious legal interpretation to justify anything untoward before, have they? Of course not.

Unfortunately for the Bushies, some Democrats have some problems with the administration’s interpretation of relevant events.

They have alleged that at the end of the January presentation at GSA, Administrator Lurita Doan asked all present to consider how they could use the agency to "help our candidates" in 2008. They also question whether the PowerPoint demonstration Jennings used violated the Hatch Act.


Asking federal employees to use the Government Services Administration to help Republican candidates win is a far, far cry from having “informational briefings.” If the Democrats’ accusations are true (and knowing this administration they probably are,) then there should be a whole heaping helping of people losing their jobs.


That is, of course, if the Special Counsel chosen to investigate these issues within the White House doesn’t lose his job first.

The Office of Special Counsel, led by Scott Bloch, is in charge of enforcing the Hatch Act. At the same time, Bloch himself is being investigated by the Bush administration on separate matters, including his enforcement of the Hatch Act.
[…]
At the same time that Bloch is investigating the White House, the Bush administration is investigating Bloch for his handling of Hatch Act cases — as well as a complaint filed against Bloch by a group of career Office of Special Counsel employees and four public interest groups.

The complaint alleges that Bloch created a hostile work environment with retaliatory acts against his employees. It states that 12 career employees were involuntarily reassigned because they were believed to have been involved in whistle-blowing. The complaint, being handled by the Office of Personnel Management's inspector general, also alleges that Bloch did not enforce bans against discrimination based on sexual orientation in the federal work place.

"The OPM investigation is a completely separate matter," said Loren Smith, a spokesman for Bloch, who has denied the allegations in the complaint.

Debra Katz, an attorney representing the employees, alleged that Bloch launched the investigation into political activity at the White House because he feared repercussions from the investigation of his own activities.


In other words, we’re never going to get to the bottom of this. And the White House skates away as law-breakers yet again.

 
Comments
SignalNoise

SignalNoise

USA
February 2004

APR 26, 2007 07:07 PM

Listen, if my mayor can't have his workers doing shady crap like this on government time - there's no way I'm letting the president get away with it.

HoneyBadger

HoneyBadger

USA
July 2006

APR 26, 2007 11:11 PM

I don't even know how to react anymore when i hear about more laws being broken by this administration. If only congress had a backbone.

MschfMayhemSoap

MschfMayhemSoap

Phoenix, AZ
April 2006

APR 26, 2007 11:43 PM



In other words, we're never going to get to the bottom of this. And the White House skates away as law-breakers yet again.



Its like a villain from a 70s cartoon show, as he always gets away to cause trouble again someday. Just doesnt have a real hero to thwart their plans. tongue

holdme

holdme

I'm lost
February 2007

APR 27, 2007 01:14 AM

You mean the Bush administration is investigating the guy who's job it is to make sure that they abide by the very same act that they arent abiding by? What a coincidence!

It really is a small world.

NickFaust

NickFaust

USA
April 2004

APR 27, 2007 05:17 AM

deanmoriarty said:
I don't even know how to react anymore when i hear about more laws being broken by this administration. If only congress had a backbone.



Yeah, I am with you

It is like the laws just don't matter any more.

We are full on in to what Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr call the "plebiscite presidency" In which executives are elected every four years and then do what ever the fuck the want til the next election.

wildswan

wildswan

I'm lost
June 2006

APR 27, 2007 06:01 AM

I'm watching the U.S. Special Counsel, Scott Block, on C-SPAN right now. He asserted that any first year law student knows that Anti Discrimination Statutes only include off-duty activities , and not
sexual orientation per se.

He doesn't seem to be forthcoming on much information, and is defensive and opaque in his answers. I've don't think I've learned less from a guest on C-SPAN

punk

punk

Phoenix, AZ
January 2004

APR 27, 2007 06:07 AM

President Bush's response will be "...there are no hatches in the White House, we don't have a basement...heh...we got lots of doors, though."

jaggy

jaggy

Austin, TX
October 2003

APR 27, 2007 06:08 AM

yep, me too . im numb now. i dont care. i think that it was the administration's intention all along to inundate us with countless scandals and law breaking that we'd lose count and interest.

Chainlink

Chainlink

Key West, FL
August 2005

APR 27, 2007 07:04 AM

jaggy said:
yep, me too . im numb now. i dont care. i think that it was the administration's intention all along to inundate us with countless scandals and law breaking that we'd lose count and interest.



yep, it's the olde "death by a thousand cuts" torture.

coffeeboy

coffeeboy

Boston, MA
March 2007

APR 27, 2007 09:09 AM

Scott Bloch has always been a puppet of this administration. He's faced allegations of improperly handling complaints from the beginning. Especially those concerning discrimination based on sexual orientation. The Bushies have stuffed Washington with 'their own' and have made a mockery of every ideal this nation is based on. And they've done it right in our faces. I've stopped wondering how he got elected and am on to wondering why we, the people, have allowed this.



zoom image zoom image

geo35

geo35

Minneapolis, MN
January 2003

APR 27, 2007 09:57 AM

jaggy said:
yep, me too . im numb now. i dont care. i think that it was the administration's intention all along to inundate us with countless scandals and law breaking that we'd lose count and interest.



That's pretty much it in a nutshell.