An ethics watchdog group wants to know if Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson used federal funds to travel to President Trump’s campaign-style rally in Phoenix on Tuesday.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a Freedom of Information Act request for Carson’s travel records and those of other HUD employees who may have traveled to the rally.
Members of the executive branch, except the president and the vice president, using taxpayer money for political purposes is prohibited by the Hatch Act.
“Legal experts already are suggesting his appearance may have violated the Hatch Act because he appeared at a campaign rally in his official capacity,” the group said in a statement. “The requested records would go a long way toward answering the question of the secretary’s capacity at the rally.”
Carson gave an introduction before Trump started his controversial speech in Phoenix.
