Hatch-Act

Trump Administration Dramatically Weakens Independent Hatch Act Enforcement

| Importance: 9/10

Trump eliminated the independent board overseeing Hatch Act violations by removing Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger and replacing OSC leadership with partisan appointees like Doug Collins and Jamieson Greer. The administration rescinded prior enforcement policies, weakening accountability for …

Donald Trump Trump Administration Hampton Dellinger Paul Ingrassia Doug Collins +2 more kleptocracy trump-administration democratic-erosion hatch-act institutional-capture
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President fires Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger; litigation ensues

| Importance: 6/10

President Trump fired Hampton Dellinger from his position as head of the Office of Special Counsel via email on Friday night, February 7, 2025, stating simply “your position…is terminated, effective immediately.” Dellinger immediately sued, arguing his removal violated statutory …

Donald Trump Hampton Dellinger (Special Counsel) Office of Special Counsel (OSC) Judge Amy Berman Jackson U.S. Senate (confirmed Dellinger 2024) courts personnel watchdogs whistleblower-protection for-cause-removal +2 more
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Office of Special Counsel Report Documents Hatch Act Violations by 13 Senior Trump Officials, Finding "Willful Disregard" for Federal Law

| Importance: 9/10

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel released a comprehensive investigative report documenting that 13 senior Trump administration officials violated the Hatch Act prior to the 2020 election, with the violations characterized as demonstrating “willful disregard for the law” and occurring …

Mike Pompeo Chad Wolf Kellyanne Conway Jared Kushner Kayleigh McEnany +8 more Hatch Act Ethics Violations Republican National Convention Trump Administration Rule of Law +1 more
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HHS Spends $300 Million in Taxpayer Funds on "Defeating Despair" COVID Ad Campaign Timed to Promote Trump Before Election

| Importance: 9/10

The Department of Health and Human Services launched a $300 million advertising campaign called “Defeating Despair” to promote the Trump administration’s COVID-19 response, with the effort conceived by political appointee Michael Caputo and timed to air before the November …

Michael Caputo Donald Trump Dennis Quaid CeCe Winans Alex Azar Hatch Act Ethics Violations Abuse of Office Campaign Finance COVID-19 +3 more
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Trump Delivers RNC Acceptance Speech from White House South Lawn in Unprecedented Mass Hatch Act Violation Event

| Importance: 9/10

President Trump delivered his Republican National Convention acceptance speech from the White House South Lawn before 1,500 attendees in an unprecedented use of federal property for a partisan campaign event, culminating four days of systematic Hatch Act violations that transformed the White House …

Donald Trump Melania Trump Mark Meadows Mike Pompeo Chad Wolf +1 more Hatch Act Ethics Violations Republican National Convention White House Abuse of Office +2 more
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Secretary of State Pompeo Delivers Historic RNC Speech from Jerusalem Rooftop, Violating Hatch Act After Changing State Department Policy

| Importance: 9/10

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a speech to the Republican National Convention from a hotel rooftop in Jerusalem during an official diplomatic trip to the Middle East, becoming the first sitting Secretary of State to address a party convention in modern history. The U.S. Office of Special …

Mike Pompeo Donald Trump Office of Special Counsel Hatch Act Ethics Violations Mike Pompeo Republican National Convention State Department +2 more
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Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf Violates Hatch Act by Staging White House Naturalization Ceremony as RNC Campaign Content

| Importance: 8/10

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf presided over a naturalization ceremony in the White House Cross Hall that was orchestrated specifically to create content for the Republican National Convention, with the footage broadcast that evening as part of the RNC programming. The U.S. Office of …

Chad Wolf Donald Trump Henry Kerner Bennie Thompson Hatch Act Ethics Violations Republican National Convention Abuse of Office Immigration +2 more
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Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue Violates Hatch Act by Campaigning for Trump at Official USDA Event

| Importance: 7/10

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue violated the Hatch Act at an August 24, 2020 event in Mills River, North Carolina, related to the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. During the official USDA event attended by President Trump, Perdue told the crowd that people lined up along the motorcade route …

Sonny Perdue Donald Trump Cabinet Corruption Ethics Violations Sonny Perdue Hatch Act USDA +1 more
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Trump Wears "Keep America Great" Campaign Hat During CDC Visit, Makes False Testing Claims

| Importance: 7/10

President Trump visited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta on March 6, 2020, wearing his red “Keep America Great” campaign hat and delivering a chaotic, politically charged performance that included false claims about testing availability, attacks on …

Donald Trump Robert Redfield Alex Azar Mike Pence Jay Inslee COVID-19 Public Health Hatch Act Disinformation Accountability Crisis
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Office of Special Counsel Issues Unprecedented Recommendation to Remove Kellyanne Conway for "Egregious, Notorious, and Ongoing" Hatch Act Violations

| Importance: 9/10

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel issued an extraordinary recommendation that White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway be removed from federal service for repeated Hatch Act violations, calling her conduct “egregious, notorious, and ongoing.” Special Counsel Henry Kerner, himself a Trump …

Kellyanne Conway Donald Trump Henry Kerner Office of Special Counsel Hatch Act Ethics Violations Kellyanne Conway Abuse of Office Trump Administration +1 more
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Office of Special Counsel Recommends Disciplining Kellyanne Conway for Hatch Act Violations

| Importance: 8/10

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel sent a report to President Trump recommending disciplinary action against White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway for violating the Hatch Act during television interviews where she promoted Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore and attacked Democratic candidate Doug …

Kellyanne Conway Donald Trump Henry Kerner Roy Moore Doug Jones Hatch Act Ethics Violations Kellyanne Conway Abuse of Office Trump Administration
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Office of Special Counsel Finds White House Social Media Director Dan Scavino Violated Hatch Act with Political Tweet Attacking Congressman

| Importance: 7/10

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel determined that White House Social Media Director Dan Scavino violated the Hatch Act when he used his position to call on Trump supporters to defeat Republican Congressman Justin Amash in a primary election. Although Scavino posted the tweet from his personal …

Dan Scavino Donald Trump Justin Amash Office of Special Counsel Hatch Act Ethics Violations Dan Scavino Social Media Trump Administration +1 more
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Kellyanne Conway Commits 50+ Hatch Act Violations, No Consequences

| Importance: 7/10

White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway committed over 50 Hatch Act violations by repeatedly using her official position to influence elections, with the Office of Special Counsel finding she violated the law on dozens of occasions including advocating for Roy Moore and against Doug Jones in the …

Kellyanne Conway Donald Trump Office of Special Counsel White House Ivanka Trump +1 more hatch-act ethics-violation impunity rule-of-law corruption
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