Submitted via IRC for SoyCow3941
Republican FCC commissioner Michael O'Rielly broke a federal law preventing officials from advocating for political candidates when he told a crowd that one way to avoid policy changes was to "make sure that President Trump gets reelected," according to a newly released letter from government officials. O'Rielly was warned by the officials about making similar comments in the future.
The Hatch Act bars many federal employees from using their offices to influence an election. During the conservative CPAC conference in February, which was also attended by FCC chairman Ajit Pai, O'Rielly was asked about how to avoid rapid swings in policy ushered in by a new administration. "I think what we can do is make sure as conservatives that we elect good people to both the House, the Senate, and make sure that President Trump gets reelected," he responded, adding that there would also be a fight in the US Senate over net neutrality rules.
[...] The office said it has sent a warning letter to O'Rielly this time, but will consider other infractions "a willful and knowing violation of the law" that could lead to legal action.
O'Rielly's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the letter.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/1/17308418/fcc-commissioner-orielly-trump-law
(Score: 4, Insightful) by sjames on Sunday May 06 2018, @08:30PM
Possible answers include "That's a question for the citizens to decide", "demonstrate the effectiveness of the policy so whoever may be elected will wish to continue with it", or even "I'm afraid that question is above my pay grade".
The law is actually quite clear and at the time he was unquestionably speaking in his capacity as commissioner, not as an individual.