{"id":2248806,"date":"2024-05-20T15:36:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-20T19:36:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hatch-act-gets-more-teeth-after-white-house-loophole-closed\/"},"modified":"2024-05-20T15:37:53","modified_gmt":"2024-05-20T19:37:53","slug":"hatch-act-gets-more-teeth-after-white-house-loophole-closed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hatch-act-gets-more-teeth-after-white-house-loophole-closed\/","title":{"rendered":"Hatch Act strengthened as White House loophole is closed"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhatch-act-gets-more-teeth-after-white-house-loophole-closed%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2248806&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Office of Special Counsel is cracking down on White House Hatch Act\u200c violations by introducing stricter guidelines to enhance disciplinary measures. This \u200d<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pennsylvanians-getting-drivers-licenses-will-now-be-automatically-registered-to-vote\/\" title=\"Pennsylvanians getting driver's licenses will now be registered to vote automatically.\">change eliminates<\/a> the president&#8217;s exclusive authority to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-republicans-launch-freedom-from-big-tech-caucus\/\" title=\"House Republicans Launch \u2018Freedom From Big Tech Caucus\u2019\">address violations<\/a>, shifting the responsibility to the Merit Systems Protection Board. The Hatch \u2063Act prohibits political activities by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/leaked-zoom-call-shows-us-federal-employees-conspiring-to-sabotage-the-trump-administration-video\/\" title=\"Leaked Zoom Call Shows US Federal Employees Conspiring to Sabotage the Trump Administration (VIDEO)\">federal employees<\/a>, with recent\u2063 reprimands issued to Biden administration officials for\u200c violations.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The agency responsible for enforcing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/1095187\/hatch-act-violations-a-breakdown-of-violations-from-trump-and-bush-to-obama-and-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Hatch Act<\/a> is attempting to rein in years of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/white-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>White House<\/a> violations with <a href=\"https:\/\/osc.gov\/Documents\/Hatch%20Act\/Advisory%20Opinions\/Federal\/Updating%20Agency%20Approach%20to%20Enforcement%20of%20the%20Hatch%20Act.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>new guidance<\/a> that could make disciplinary action more likely.<\/p>\n<p>On Monday, the Office of Special Counsel announced it would no longer give the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>president<\/a> sole discretion on whether to pursue violations, as it has for senior White House officials. Instead, cases will be brought to the Merit Systems Protection Board, a quasi-judicial body that can punish staffers if they are found to have violated the statute.<\/p>\n<p>White House officials have routinely run afoul of the Hatch Act, which prevents federal employees from using their office to engage in political activity. The president and vice president are immune from the law, but other officials are not.<\/p>\n<p>A host of Biden aides, from press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to chief of staff Ron Klain, have been reprimanded by the OSC. In 2019, the office found that Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway violated the act so many times it recommended she be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/office-of-special-counsel-recommends-removal-of-kellyanne-conway-from-federal-office-for-violating-the-hatch-act\/2019\/06\/13\/0786ae2e-8df4-11e9-8f69-a2795fca3343_story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>removed from office<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The OSC has long left it to the president to decide if and how these staffers should be punished, but the relative lack of action prompted the agency to reconsider the \u201cloophole.\u201d Only Senate-confirmed officials are not subject to the review board, it announced in a rule change it says aligns the statute with congressional intent.<\/p>\n<p>Hampton Dellinger, appointed to lead the OSC in March, rolled out two other policy changes. Going forward, officials who leave their position can still be prosecuted for violations that occurred during their tenure at the White House.<\/p>\n<p>The guidance also broadens a ban on political \u201cswag\u201d in the workplace. Employees cannot display items or wear clothing supporting candidates for office.<\/p>\n<p>Previously, employees could do so at certain times of the year, such as immediately after Election Day.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese enforcement changes should <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/softballs-and-adoration-read-the-questions-reporters-have-asked-bidens-press-secretary\/\" title=\"Softballs And Adoration: Read The \u2018Questions\u2019 Reporters Have Asked Biden\u2019s Press Secretary\">provide clear guidance<\/a> and bright-line rules to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-releases-list-of-president-trumps-accomplishments-and-it-is-historic\/\" title=\"White House Releases List of President Trump\u2019s Accomplishments \u2013  And It Is Historic!\">federal workers<\/a> and the public,\u201d Dellinger said in a <em>Politico<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/magazine\/2024\/05\/20\/office-of-special-counsel-updating-rules-for-white-house-officials-00158687?nname=playbook&#038;nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&#038;nrid=b184d69e-b2a2-4eb9-933e-7e669f36c25d&#038;nlid=630318\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>op-ed<\/a> announcing the new guidance.<\/p>\n<p>The crackdown marks a reversal for the OSC, which previously pointed to a 1978 Justice Department opinion to exempt senior staffers from scrutiny by the review board. Discretion was also given to the president because the MSPB lacked a quorum for years and could not issue rulings.<\/p>\n<p>It now has all three members seated.<\/p>\n<p>Michael Chamberlain, director of Protect the Public\u2019s Trust, a watchdog group that reported violations by Jean-Pierre, welcomed the development, predicting the new rules would \u201cmake people think twice in situations that may be close calls.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe sincerely hope this new interpretation leads to a more consistent application of the law,\u201d Chamberlain, a former Trump administration official, said.<\/p>\n<p>The White House did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Office of Special Counsel, in an effort to address White House violations, aims to tighten enforcement of the Hatch Act with updated guidelines. Disciplinary actions may increase following the decision to remove the president&#8217;s exclusive authority to determine violations, marking a significant shift in oversight practices<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2651,"featured_media":2248807,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24138701414953-1-1024x591.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2248806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24138701414953-1-1024x591.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2248806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2651"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2248806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2248806\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2248807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2248806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2248806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2248806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}