Sharing a campaign's fundraising post—or forwarding a campaign's fundraising email—is a violation even when an employee does not personally author any text related to the solicitation. Image: gioele piccinini/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffA VA employee who “violated the Hatch Act by sharing Facebook posts promoting partisan political fundraisers” has agreed to a 70-day unpaid suspension in a settlement with the Office of Special Counsel, the OSC has said.
The suspension, one of the longer ones announced in recent times in Hatch Act prosecutions, is the latest of a series of cases underscoring the applicability of that law to social media.
Among other restrictions, the Hatch Act generally prohibits federal employees from knowingly soliciting, accepting, or receiving political contributions for candidates for partisan political office at the federal, state, and local level at any time, and from engaging in political activity while on duty or at work.
“As part of a settlement agreement, the employee admitted to posting 12 Facebook messages, including while on duty, that advertised, promoted, or otherwise disseminated information about political fundraisers for a candidate for state legislature whom she supported,” the OSC said.
It further noted that “in some of the posts, the VA employee did not add any of her own text, but instead only shared fundraising posts made by a candidate’s campaign. However, sharing a campaign’s fundraising post—or forwarding a campaign’s fundraising email—is a violation even when an employee does not personally author any text related to the solicitation.”
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