13 senior Trump administration officials violated Hatch Act, report finds

Thirteen senior Trump administration officials violated the Hatch Act, according to a report from the U.S. Office of Special Counsel that was released on Tuesday.

Eleven of those senior Trump officials allegedly violated the Hatch Act by "campaigning on behalf of President Trump's reelection" during 18 official interviews or media appearances, and two of them committed violations related to 2020 Republican National Convention, the report said. The agency, which is charged with investigating Hatch Act violations, also found that some Trump administration officials "intentionally ignored the law's requirements and tacitly or expressly approved of senior administration officials violating the law."

The agency said it began investigating the officials after many complaints were submitted during and after the convention.

The eleven former senior officials who allegedly committed media-related violations are: White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, Trump senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, national security adviser Robert O'Brien, Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, White House adviser Stephen Miller, White House deputy press secretary Brian Morgenstern, then-Vice-President Mike Pence's chief of staff Marc Short, White House communications director Alyssa Farah and US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was found in violation of the Hatch Act when he addressed the 2020 Republican convention in a pre-recorded video, even after charging employees to "not improperly engage the Department of State in the political process," a move where he used "his official authority while giving that speech to promote President (Donald) Trump's candidacy," according to the report.