3 US workers face investigation over Obama e-mail -Allegedly spread discredited rumor

[Pirate Smile]

Source: Boston Globe

WASHINGTON - Three federal employees are being investigated for unlawful political activities after they allegedly sent an e-mail falsely accusing Barack Obama of being a "radical Muslim," the Globe has learned.

The US Office of Special Counsel - the independent federal agency responsible for enforcing a law banning civil service workers from engaging in political activism while performing their official duties - has launched investigations of two employees at one agency and one employee at another agency. All three are believed to have forwarded the erroneous chain e-mail about Obama from their government e-mail accounts.

-snip-
A spokesman for the special counsel office, which has about 100 employees and a $17 million annual budget, said news of the investigations could deter other government employees from spreading partisan information over the Internet - including many who do not know it is illegal.
"We think that this e-mail could be the tip of the iceberg and that we may have many more similar e-mails circulating in federal agencies," said James Mitchell, the office's communications director. "People need to stop doing this."

-snip-
The US Army has already told its soldiers not to use government computers to spread the Obama smear. Personnel at the US Army Medical Command in Fort Sam Houston, were warned last week after an Army employee used an official e-mail address to send the message to soldiers and civilian employees worldwide.



Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/26/3_us_workers_face_investigation_over_obama_e_mail/

[babylonsister]

1. Busted! Good! nt

[hollowdweller]

2. Glad they are doing this

In the 04 season I recieved tons of Kerry smear emails from a friend who works for the govt.

[LiberalFighter]

3. Didn't know it was illegal?

I don't buy that at all.

[UALRBSofL]

4. Speaking Of Emails

Where are the thousands of emails the Bush administration is hiding. Has this issue just died or has the Bush folks lost them?????

[stillcool]

5. "I didn't know"

who could have imagined it would be illegal for federal employees to engage in smear campaigns against a particular candidate.

[1620rock]

6. Heh, you bet it is. I am retired, 40 years a FE. It's a firing offence.

I am not a BO supporter, but I hope they lose their jobs over this.

[divineorder]

12. Yes It Is Illegal

Last year a memo was distributed to all my agency's employees that warned against the use of government computers for partisan-or non workrelated-email. The Hatch Act prohibits federal employees from any partisan activity while at work or using Government resources. You cannot wear a political badge or button or t-shirt while on the job. You cannot run for partisan office and keep your federal job. You cannot electioneer while working-and so much more that comes under the Hatch Act.

You can lose your job over it-they can say it's not workrelated at all.

[bluestateguy]

7. A clear violation of the Hatch Act

And it's also libel and slander to knowingly spread a false rumor about someone.

[McCamy Taylor]

8. Can't slander a public figure in the US but it is illegal for US gov't employees to do it.

Funny how no on is prosecuting the WH or Rove for all the campaigning they did.

[ursi]

19. actually, you can sue if you are a public official and it is personal and impacts

your life personally. Let's say Obama's wife starts receiving threats because some whack job thinks she is muslim too. Of course, they'd have to prove it was the email rumor that set the jerk off but it works. Also if a rumor impacts someone financially and it can be proven.

[Morereason]

9. This is Bogus... You have never bantered political info across your emails?

I have worked in government and private industry. You have to be careful these days because of exactly what happened here. But most likely these people. while they were buying into bunk, we probably just passing on chain letters or trying to convince personal friends in political dialog... you know, kind of like we enjoy all the time.

[tabasco]

13. Not when I was a federal employee, on govt. time. on govt. equipment.

You have to be pretty fucking stupid to think that is a-okay at work.

[Caretha]

14. Sorry

It's illegal and my taxes are not supposed to pay for government workers to pass on their political opinions/agendas while on the clock or using government equipment THAT MY TAXES PAID FOR.!

[Trajan]

17. WRONG ....

It is against the rules of nearly EVERY organization to allow chain letters and other political letters to be sent from company email accounts .....

When you say 'We', you must be talking about the mouse in your pocket ....

You and your mouse violate rules and send nonsense emails, is what you meant to say .... not 'we' .... 'Cause 'WE' don't do that ....

[Omaha Steve]

10. What about the people didn't know it wasn't true?

I'm not defending using the email on government jobs. I'm just saying some people don't know it was false. I got the same email from a friend that thought it was true in the last week or so.

[ursi]

20. it is still political campaigning with the use of a tax payer paid for computer/network/pay check

[Voltaire99]

11. If guilty, throw the book at them.

We put up with enough fraud in this banana republic without these fucking public servants further degrading what's left of the system.

[lligrd]

15. Against Email Policy At Our Local Government Office Too

on so many levels. We are forbidden to send chain letters, disparaging emails of any type, anything not related to work. And, we have to sign a policy memo annually, acknowledging that we understand the policy.

[TroglodyteScholar]

16. I received some Obama smear emails from a federal employee I work with...

...but rather than report him (I'm sure he didn't realize his error), I just replied to all and skewered him and the bogus email he was sending along. Then I punctuated that with a "if you don't like this kind of response, kindly exclude me from further smears of public officials."

I think that got the point across w/out getting all ugly. I guess he's mostly a nice guy, just doesn't pay much attention to anything outside his own personal life.

[ursi]

18. I had a person who works at a local health care for low-income, federally funded,

send that email to me at my government computer. I tore her a new one. We haven't spoken since.