Counsel: Administration Runs Afoul of Hatch Act

The Obama administration has been slow to adopt rules to keep political activities out of the government as required by the Hatch Act. The Office of Special Counsel made the discovery while conducting an investigation into violations that occurred during the Bush administration, The Washington Post reports.

The Special Counsel concluded in the report examining Bush administration violations that only one cabinet-level department under President Barack Obama has come up with reasonable rules to make sure political activity does not occur in government offices or involve the use of federal employees or federal funds. The report said that even the standards adopted in that lone office, which was not named, fall short, the Post said.

Obama administration spokesman Reid Cherlin said that “agencies have been consulting with OSC to make sure they comply with the Hatch Act." Obama has decided to move the White House political office to Chicago. The political office was responsible for Bush administration abuses, the Post said.

The special counsel's office, which monitors Hatch Act compliance, did not conduct an actual investigation in Obama Administration practices or find any violations. Instead, it focused on the sole office to adopt rules to cite it as “a good example,” the Post said.