Pompeo’s Jerusalem Speech Violated Hatch Act, Complaint Says

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A video of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaking during the Republican National Convention plays from the Rose Garden of the White House, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo committed an “egregious violation” of the Hatch Act by delivering a video-taped speech from Israel to the Republican National Convention, according to a complaint filed by two law professors with the State Department’s inspector general.

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Past secretaries of state have gone to lengths to avoid the appearance of partisan political activity, particularly during nominating conventions for the administrations they served. Pompeo’s speech violated the 1939 law, which limits the commingling of political activity and government business, says the complaint, filed late Wednesday.

During the speech, which was filmed during a diplomatic mission using Old Jerusalem as a backdrop, Pompeo praised President Donald Trump’s foreign policy. He also celebrated the relocation of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, an issue of particular importance to white evangelicals who are a crucial voting block for Trump.

“This video is an egregious violation of the Hatch Act,” wrote Claire O. Finkelstein and Richard W. Painter, the two law school professors. “Secretary Pompeo at the same time as he was on a diplomatic mission to Israel gave a partisan political speech for an RNC campaign video in which he referred to the U.S. embassy in Israel, said that a candidate in a partisan election — Donald Trump — should get credit for the relocation of that embassy.”

The Trump administration argues Pompeo’s remarks didn’t violate the law because he focused on U.S. policy. But the speech shattered longstanding State Department precedent and even went against the guidance Pompeo issued to American diplomats last month, advising that federal law prevented them from taking overt sides in the presidential campaign.

Still, the Trump White House has taken an ambivalent approach to the ethics rules and norms that guided past administrations. And Pompeo joins a substantive list of other Trump officials who have taken a cavalier approach specifically toward the Hatch Act.

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows dismissed concern about such violations on Wednesday, telling Politico, “Nobody outside of the Beltway really cares.”

The complaint from Finkelstein, a University of Pennsylvania law professor, and Painter — George W. Bush’s former ethics lawyer, a onetime Democratic congressional candidate, and a University of Minnesota law professor — requests an inspector general investigation.

They also called for a review of whether State Department employees who helped with logistics could have violated the Hatch Act, as well.

“We believe that when you investigate Secretary Pompeo’s RNC speech from Jerusalem, you will conclude that he violated the Hatch Act in presenting it,” the law professors wrote.


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Chareidi Jews For Biden/Harris 2020
Chareidi Jews For Biden/Harris 2020
3 years ago

Trump and his supporters break laws at whim. Kellyanne was already found to have violated the Hatch act. Matt Gaetz was censured by congress. Paul Manafort shared data with the Russians. Michael Flynn lied to the FBI. Roger Stone is a convict. Michael Cohen is in jail. Yet Trump knows his supporters don’t care. He could shoot someone on 5th avenue and they would still vote for him. Then the Trump hypocrites claim to be all for Law and Order. What a pathetic joke.

An alter Lodzer
An alter Lodzer
3 years ago

In his 2nd term, be’H , Trump will have a freer hand to clean the putrid swamps at State , Justice , FBI and wherever else.
The deep state anti-people chazzer fressing bureaucrats will once and for all be thrown to the streets
Someone Claire Finkelstein , huh ?
Finkelstein .Well , well.

Yankel
Yankel
3 years ago

I couldn’t sleep all night from this “egregious” violation of the whatever act.

Charedi Jews for Trump / Pence
Charedi Jews for Trump / Pence
3 years ago

They’re Hatch Acting away , but as we speak , drug dealing aliens are in streets and parks feeding addiction and worse in our communities, destroying familes and robbing us of peace of mind..
Hatch away , you criminal impeachment hoaxers.

Houdini
Houdini
3 years ago

Hey Kzler. Any new stories today ????

Torah Jews for Trump
Torah Jews for Trump
3 years ago

Civilians and police being shot in American cities, criminal abetting Democrats and cowardly corporations cheering them on. Businesses and houses of worship not permitted to open.
Families financially broke. Murderers loose on our streets.
What’s a Hatch ?

Adam Schiff
Adam Schiff
3 years ago

And the great war hero, John Kerry, committed treason by breaking the Logan Act.

georgeg
georgeg
3 years ago

How about the following list of Obama’s cabinet members who spoke at Obama’s 2012 Democratic National Convention:

> Then-Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan all took the stage in Charlotte, North Carolina on the “same day” while Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki and Karen Mills of the U.S. Small Business Administration spoke the day after.

So if these professors wanted to say something, why were they silent then?

Are they are arguing that by simply being in Israel qualifies as using “official authority” because Israel is where he is suppose to be when he does the job that the president sent him to do? Apparently he is not suppose to have time off?

Phineas
Phineas
3 years ago

Might as well take the Act off the books. It isn’t being enforced and there may not be an enforcement mechanism.