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U.S. Office of Special Counsel
1730 M Street, N.W., Suite 218
Washington, D.C. 20036-4505
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OSC Announces Settlement of Hatch Act Complaint
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 1/3/07
CONTACT: Loren Smith, 202-254-3714,
lsmith@osc.gov
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the United States Office of Special Counsel (OSC)
announced its favorable settlement of a complaint seeking disciplinary action
against a federal employee for violating the Hatch Act. The employee, while on
duty, in a federal building and using a government e-mail account, distributed
an e-mail containing a political endorsement in favor of a Presidential
candidate. The employee sent the e-mail to more than twenty recipients, a group
that included other federal employees, professional contacts, and friends.
Because the employee showed good faith by acknowledging the Hatch Act violation,
agreeing to undertake Hatch Act training, and accepting a written reprimand,
though maintaining any violation was unintentional, the OSC is not releasing the
employee’s name and has agreed to this confidential settlement.
Special Counsel Scott Bloch said, “The founders
of our country saw the need for free speech, but also the imminent dangers of
having a federal government that would be used to create political machines for
electioneering. The Hatch Act followed reforms of the government that began over
two hundred years ago. It is important for federal employees to realize that
sending e-mails on the job that advocate for a candidate for office may subject
them to discipline and possibly the loss of their jobs. The Hatch Act forbids
political activity in the federal workplace. No political activity means no
political activity, even if it is only one time.”
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The U.S.
Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is an independent investigative and
prosecutorial agency. Among other functions, it investigates and prosecutes
complaints alleging violations of the Hatch Act and provides advisory
opinions regarding the Act’s requirements. For more information about OSC,
please visit our web site at www.osc.gov or
call 1-800-872-1855.
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