A government watchdog has cleared Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson of an alleged Hatch Act violation following his August appearance at President Trump’s campaign-style rally in Phoenix.
Responding to a complaint from former Deputy Secretary of Labor Chris Lu, the Office of Special Counsel said in a statement Monday that, while Carson was introduced as “Secretary of Housing and Urban Development” by a White House official, his speech at the Aug. 22 rally did not violate the law.
The Hatch Act prohibits members of the executive branch, except the president and the vice president, from using taxpayer money for political purposes.
Carson gave an introduction before Trump started his speech in which he rehashed his controversial statements following the deadly Charlottesville protests.
“He did not say anything to give the impression he was speaking in his official capacity as HUD secretary,” the statement read. It also said during the speech he did not refer to his offical position.
Members of the executive branch, except the president and the vice president, using taxpayer money for political purposes is prohibited by the Hatch Act.
Following the rally, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, an ethics watchdog group, filed a Freedom of Information Act request asking if Carson and other HUD officials used federal funds to travel to the rally.
The Office of the Special Counsel is an independent govenrment agency and is not the same group investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election that’s run by Robert Mueller.
Responding to my complaint, @US_OSC finds no Hatch Act violation by Ben Carson, but WH staffer who introduced him is no longer employed pic.twitter.com/6fdWuCITvt
— Chris Lu (@ChrisLu44) September 11, 2017
