In one case, an employee shared 11 posts while on duty that she knew included requests for donations. Image: Wachiwit/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffThe Office of Special Counsel has said that two separate Hatch Act enforcement actions have been settled with employees agreeing to unpaid suspensions, saying that the cases illustrate that “federal employees must understand and fulfill their obligations under the Hatch Act, which include a prohibition on political activity while on-duty, and a 24-7 prohibition on soliciting donations for partisan political campaigns.”
One case resulted in a 130-day suspension of an FDIC employee for what the OSC described as soliciting political contributions for two different partisan political candidates and engaging in political activity while on duty.
“OSC’s investigation found that the employee hosted a fundraising event at his home for a candidate for partisan political office and personally solicited donations from other individuals for a different candidate. In addition, OSC’s investigation found that while on duty, the employee sent emails for the purpose of organizing a campaign event he hosted for a third candidate for partisan political office,” it said.
The other case, resulting in a 90-day suspension of a Coast Guard employee, involved social media postings while on duty supporting or opposing candidates in the 2020 presidential election, candidates for congressional office, or political parties, it said. The OSC said it also found evidence showing that the employee shared 11 posts “that she knew included requests for donations to political candidates or political groups” even though it had directly warned her about the law’s applicability to social media.
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