“We, as a department, are under heightened scrutiny during the presidential election cycle,” the email read. “It is important that we, DHS staff, are familiar with the policy around biased political activity to ensure that we comply with it.”
The email further listed the employees who are subject to “greater restrictions by law”, including “political appointments in the department” which are “prohibited from actively participating in partisan-related politics at any time” activities and must seek the Secretary’s approval office to attend passive partisan political events. ”
The existence of the email was first announced on Twitter by opinion columnist Catherine Rampell of the Washington Post.
“DHS staff emails about the Hatch Act are frequently sent in every election season,” Homeland Security spokesman Alexei Woltornist said in a statement to POLITICO. “The one you are referring to was posted early Tuesday morning on DHS’s internal website. Acting Secretary Wolf appeared at an official White House event and the video of that event was made public.”
Several Trump administration officials, including Wolf, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Director Larry Kudlow of the National Economic Council and Presidential Counselor for President Kellyanne Conway, have been criticized for giving speeches or appearing at the RNC, roles that critics have claimed to be in violation of the Hatch Act.
Conway in particular has repeatedly violated the Hatch Act, the federal office responsible for reviewing it last year. That agency, the Office of Special Counsel, advised that she be removed from the federal workforce.
The White House has largely ignored those concerns.
“No one outside the Beltway is really making a difference,” White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said Wednesday. “They expect Donald Trump to promote Republican values and they would expect Barack Obama, when he was in office, to do the same for Democrats. So listen, this is a lot of hope being made about things. , especially since the convention has been so incredibly successful. “
In response to questions from Democrats about the use of the White House to organize political events, the Hatch Act Unit at the Office of Special Counsel said in a letter dated August 12 that although the Act does not apply to ‘ the President and therefore would not be prohibited from giving his White House RNC acceptance speech, which could have consequences for participating White House staff, “depending on their level of involvement in the event and their position in it. the White House. “
