HUD Secretary violated the Hatch Act, Office of Special Counsel concludes
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
jimfields33
(15,825 posts)They are suddenly concerned with hatch violations? Thats a laugh considering they ignored it from January 2017 to January 2021.
aquamarina
(1,865 posts)A million times this.
catrose
(5,068 posts)After 4 years of officials literally laughing at the Hatch Act, now it's a thing?
hibbing
(10,098 posts)CincyDem
(6,363 posts)ruet
(10,039 posts)After 4 years of a walking Hatch Act violation, I'm supposed to care now? Ok...
FakeNoose
(32,645 posts)All the egregious offenses during the 4 years of Chump, and we never heard a PEEP from them. Why should anybody care what they say now?
groundloop
(11,519 posts)Ramsey Barner
(349 posts)Of course Kellyanne Conway, and many other Trumpers, did far worse. That's not the point. The OSC has formally reprimanded her and Biden should let that reprimand stand.
ewagner
(18,964 posts)If we're serious about the rule of law we need to apply it.
pazzyanne
(6,556 posts)TeamProg
(6,143 posts)Let's hope so!
irisblue
(32,982 posts)from the above article...."OSC concluded that she violated the Hatch Act and said she has been issued a warning."
Texin
(2,596 posts)and punish them, then I'll take this accusation seriously.
Dawson Leery
(19,348 posts)I will take this accusation seriously when Trump's minions are dealt with.
What she did is minor at best.
hedda_foil
(16,375 posts)Henry Kerner is an American lawyer who serves as the Special Counsel in the United States Office of Special Counsel.
Biography
Kerner received a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in history from the University of California, Los Angeles, before obtaining his J.D. at Harvard Law School in 1992.[1]
He spent 18 years as a prosecutor in California before becoming staff director for U.S. Senator John McCain at the United States Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.[2][3] In 2011, Kerner joined the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, working beneath Under Chairman Darrell Issa and Chairman Jason Chaffetz.[2]
Kerner went on to become Assistant Vice President for Investigations at the small-government advocacy organization Cause of Action Institute.[4] In June 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Kerner to become Special Counsel at the United States Office of Special Counsel.[5] He was confirmed by the 115th Congress with final voting from the U.S. Senate in October 2017.[6][7]
References
"Scarramucci and other alumni among Trump's recent appointees". Harvard Law Today. July 26, 2017. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
"U.S. Office of Special Counsel - Henry Kerner Bio". OSC.gov. Archived from the original on June 15, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
Clark, Charles S. (May 26, 2017). "Trump Selects Capitol Hill Investigator to Run Office of Special Counsel". Government Executive. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
Davidson, Joe (June 7, 2017). "Special Counsel Lerner leaves office as Trump rejects highly praised whistleblower advocate". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
"One Nomination Sent to the Senate Today". whitehouse.gov. June 5, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2019 via National Archives.
White, Eric (October 18, 2017). "OMB orders agencies to gauge cyber risk". Federal News Radio. Retrieved November 3, 2017. Henry Kerner has received Senate confirmation to be the U.S. Special Counsel at the Office of Special Counsel.
"Management Issues Raised for OPM, GSA Nominees". FEDweek. October 23, 2017. Retrieved November 3, 2017. Meanwhile, the Senate has confirmed Henry Kerner to head the Office of Special Counsel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Kerner
csziggy
(34,136 posts)But according to this Forbes article:
Andrew Solender
Updated Aug 27, 2020, 12:33pm EDT
Sherman noted that while penalties for civil violations of the Hatch Act can include fines and removal from federal service, it is enforced by the White House or by the Merit Systems Protection Board which the OSC rarely refers high-level cases to leading to mostly low level Trump administration staffers facing punitive actions while high-level political appointees have gone largely unscathed.
One reason why many ethics violations by Trump administration officials have gone largely unnoticed, let alone unpunished, Sherman asserts, is because the OSC, run by Republican Henry Kerner, doesnt perform affirmative enforcement, instead waiting for complaints by watchdog groups like CREW or government whistleblowers before investigating and making recommendations.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2020/08/26/heres-why-trump-officials-rarely-face-penalties-for-hatch-act-violations/?sh=2edb4f3ba2d2
CREW filed many complaints, but still nothing was done. Here is a link to a search of the CREW website for "OSC violations":
https://www.citizensforethics.org/?s=osc+violations
Not a single report of any action taken against those mentioned in the complaints.
Javaman
(62,530 posts)oh wait right. not only are their two sets of laws for the rich and poor, there are two sets of laws for rebukes and Democrats.
Maggiemayhem
(811 posts)Cause I keep hearing the name Kelly Anne for some reason.
jeffreyi
(1,943 posts)Good heavens.