The Office of Special Counsel has determined that California Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra violated the Hatch Act by delivering remarks with his personal electoral preference mixed in at a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute event. Basically, he used his official powers for his own gain, which is a no-no. Special Counsel Henry J. Kerner let President Biden know about the violation in a letter on Tuesday. Naughty, naughty!
But don’t worry folks, Becerra didn’t mean to break the rules. He called it an “inadvertent violation.” He didn’t realize that he couldn’t blur his personal opinions with official remarks. Oopsie daisy! He’s super sorry and promises to never do it again. He even had some extra counseling on the whole Hatch Act thing. Better late than never, I guess.
The Hatch Act is a law that prohibits federal employees from using their authority to affect the outcome of an election. It’s like a parent saying, “Don’t use the power of being older to force your little brother to give you his candy.” It’s just not fair. Now, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) appointed Alex Padilla to replace Kamala D. Harris in the Senate after she became vice president. Padilla won the election in 2022.
Under the Hatch Act’s legal interpretations, the current president in office is the only one who can take action against their political appointees when they break the rules. So, we’ll have to see if Biden has anything to say about Becerra’s faux pas. The White House hasn’t commented on the issue yet, but we’ll keep our ears peeled.
During the reign of Donald Trump, many administration officials broke the Hatch Act without any consequences. At least 13 senior officials mixed governing with campaigning before the 2020 election, according to a report by Kerner’s office. They described it as a “willful disregard for the law,” which is a fancy way of saying “they knew better, but they did it anyway.” This allowed for the creation of a “taxpayer-funded campaign apparatus within the upper echelons of the executive branch.” Yikes! Sounds like a bad movie plot.

Serious News: washingtonpost