Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter to Special Counsel Henry Kerner urging him to rescind the guidance the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) sent agency ethics officers last week regarding whether certain speech is prohibited under the Hatch Act.
“OSC’s new guidance on the Hatch Act is a radical departure from past guidance, may be unconstitutional, and is certain to have a chilling impact on federal employees," Cummings wrote. “The new guidance is so out of step with OSC’s past interpretations of the law that it raises concerns about whether OSC itself is engaging in inappropriate political activity."
In the letter, Cummings also requested that Kerner provide a briefing and documents regarding the new Hatch Act guidance.
