Probe: Officials violated the Hatch Act

NEW YORK — At least 13 former Trump administration officials violated the law by intermingling campaigning with their official government duties, according to a federal investigation released Tuesday.

The report from the Office of Special Counsel says the officials broke the law without consequence and with the administration’s approval as part of a “willful disregard for the Hatch Act,” which prohibits government officials from using their official roles to influence elections, including supporting candidates while acting in their official capacities.

“The cumulative effect of these repeated violations was to undermine confidence in the nonpartisan operation of government,” they wrote, adding that, “such flagrant and unpunished violations erode the principal foundation of our democratic system—the rule of law.”

The office investigated officials’ comments in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election, including the Republican National Convention, which was held at the White House in a major break from historical norms.

While the Office of Special Counsel concluded that hosting the event at the White House did not itself violate the Hatch Act, it found plenty of other instances where

Trump officials did, mostly by promoting the former president’s reelection in media interviews in which they appeared in their official capacity.

Among the officials cited are former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Jared Kushner, who served as senior adviser to the president, former White House press secretary Kayleigh Mcenany and Kellyanne Conway, then counselor to the president.