Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke violated the Hatch Act when he tweeted a photo of himself wearing a pair of “Make America Great Again” socks, according to federal investigators.
The Dec. 20 warning letter from the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which was made available to the public Thursday and reported by the Hill, wrote, “Secretary Zinke engaged in political activity when he wore the above-referenced socks.” Zinke resigned under multiple ethics probes in January.
According to the Hatch Act, employees in the executive branch are prohibited from engaging in any sort of partisan political activity.
A violation can result in a $1,000 civil penalty, a reduction in grade, or removal from office. Zinke avoided punishment because he deleted the tweet and apologized.
“[W]e do not believe that his violation was willful,” wrote Ana Galindo-Marrone, chief of the Hatch Act Unit at the Office of the Special Counsel.
Zinke wore the socks during a hike at an official government event in June at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, according to the Hour.
