Watchdog group accuses Biden officials of new Hatch Act violations

Though many in conservative circles perceive the Biden administration as lawless and the beneficiaries of countless double standards, it now appears that staffers under the president have indeed run afoul of a key law pertaining to political activity while in office.

As the Washington Examiner notes, officials inside the White House as well as the Small Business Administration (SBA) violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from taking part in activity designed to impact election outcomes.

Watchdog group exposes violations

Email messages secured by the watchdog group Protect the Public's Trust indicate that employees within the White House and the SBA have made a practice of using official resources to express opinions about the phrase “MAGA” as a cornerstone of former President Donald Trump's campaign.

This, according to the group, is a contravention of the Hatch Act, which prohibits such individuals from “using their official authority or influence to interfere with or affect the result of an election.”

As such, the group has dispatched a complaint to the White House, the Inspector General of the SBA, as well as the U.S. office of Special Counsel for further action.

Protect the Public Trust director Michael Chamberlain declared in a statement, “This continual apparent disregard of the Hatch Act shows why it's needed in the first place.”

He went on, “American citizens don't pay their public servants to wage a permanent political campaign while disparaging their opponents.”

Not the first time

As NBC News reported late last year, this is not the first time key Biden administration officials have been called on the carpet for running afoul of the Hatch Act.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre had been cautioned against using the term “MAGA” to describe Republicans with whom the president disagreed, but she went on to commit additional acts contrary to the warning.

Deputy press secretary Andrew Bates was also cited for similar conduct, referencing a so-called “MAGA” Republican budget plan and “MAGA tax welfare.”

Unsurprisingly, neither Bates nor Jean-Pierre were subjected to any disciplinary consequences for their repeated violations, despite having been warned about the risks.

At the time, a White House official assured NBC News, “We take the law seriously and uphold the Hatch Act,” but based on these recent revelations from Protect the Public's Trust, that does not appear to be the case.