U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm will face no disciplinary action after the nation's Office of Special Counsel found she violated a law that limits the political speech and participation by federal employees during an interview last year.
The OSC found that Granholm violated the 1939 Hatch Act in her comments during a live Marie Claire interview in which she appeared to be actively supporting the Democratic Party, according to a June 29 Reuters report. The Hatch Act of 1939 limits political campaigning activities for federal employees, except for the president and vice president.
"The good news is that marching and that voting gave Democrats a bare majority, but a majority, in the House, in the Senate," Granholm said during the interview, according to Reuters. "And again, I am using Democrats as a substitute for the policies that you believe in, the policies that you would like to see happen."
OSC ultimately determined Granholm's comments warranted an official warning letter and that any further violations could resulting in disciplinary action, Reuters reported.
"Because Secretary Granholm engaged in activity directed at the success of the Democratic Party during an interview she gave in her official capacity — she violated the Hatch Act's use of official authority prohibition," the OSC said, according to a June 29 article from The Hill.
"The Office of Special Counsel has advised the secretary of a single unintended and unknowing infraction and this complaint is now closed," DOE said, according to the Reuters story. "Secretary Granholm takes her ethics obligations seriously."
According to The Hill, Granholm had not received significant training on the Hatch Act so she was reportedly unaware of her violation.
According to the DOE, Granholm holds a Harvard law degree, served one term as the attorney general of Michigan, served two terms as the governor of Michigan and taught law and public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, before being appointed Energy Secretary.
