Watchdog Says Biden’s Education Secretary Violated Law By Using Office To Attack Republicans
- July 25, 2024
Robert Schmad, Daily Caller
A watchdog group has accused Education Secretary Miguel Cardona of violating federal law by sending a mass email attacking Republicans for opposing student debt cancellation.
Protect the Public’s Trust (PPT) called the email “glaringly political” and filed a complaint with the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) and the Education Department(ED) inspector general accusing the education secretary of violating the Hatch Act, which limits federal employees from using their office to engage in partisan political activities intended to influence the outcome of an election. Through his email, Cardona characterized Republican elected officials as “siding with special interests and trying to block Americans from accessing all the benefits of the most affordable student loan repayment plan in history” while praising the Biden-Harris administration for “fighting” on behalf of Americans, according to a PPT press release.
Since Cardona “used his official position and government resources to send an email to an official government email list” and because that email was explicitly partisan, it constituted the kind of partisan political activity that the Hatch Act prohibits, according to PPT’s complaint. PPT also points out that student loan forgiveness has become a significant issue in the 2024 presidential election and that the language used in Cardona’s email is similar to that used by President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign prior to him dropping out of the race.
PPT requested that OSC and the ED inspector general “immediately investigate” the email to determine if Cardona violated the Hatch Act. Penalties for violating the Hatch Act can include removal from federal employment, demotion, prohibition from federal employment for up to five years, suspension, reprimand or up to $1,000 in civil penalties.
“You almost have to admire the chutzpa of sending out full-on campaign literature to millions of citizens from your official Education Department email address,” PPT director Michael Chamberlain said. “Unfortunately, it’s indicative of the attitude of too many in this administration toward the restrictions and ethics standards by which the executive branch is supposed to operate — the ones President Biden and Vice President Harris referred to when they promised the most ethical administration in history.”