On Wednesday Donald Trump made an appearance in the Oval Office where he spewed his normal venom and lies, demonstrating how he is single-handedly destroying this fine country of ours.
In watching the videos of Trump’s meeting with the president of Ecuador, some people noticed something a little odd.
On a small end table next to Trump was a stack of Trump’s eponymous red MAGA hats. Although these seemed to be the similar “KAG” or “Keep America Great” hats.
This is, of course, illegal. It is a clear violation of the Hatch Act.
The Hatch Act prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activities while they are on the job. Named for former Senator Carl A. Hatch, Democrat of New Mexico, the law has been on the books for 80 years.
The act dates to Depression-era reforms intended to prevent machine politics in which patronage jobs were handed out to people who then used their positions to help keep their patrons in power. The act has been amended several times.
“It’s about equal treatment and keeping partisan activity out of the federal government,” said Kathleen Clark, a professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis and a government ethics lawyer.
Of course since his acquittal on impeachment charges, Trump can do whatever he wants. No one will stop him. The GOP has shown they are completely complicit in Trump’s crimes. God forbid Trump sends a mean tweet about them!
Still, look at this. Remember when conservatives flipped out over Obama wearing a tan suit? Or the time, GASP, that he put his feet on the desk!
Quelle horreur!!!!
It looks like Trump is now keeping a big stack of “Keep America Great” hats close by in the Oval Office pic.twitter.com/BagSnhG74q [1]
— Kevin Liptak (@Kevinliptakcnn) February 12, 2020 [2]
As a side note, don’t Trump and his wife look miserable??
Twitter had some thoughts:
ok, how is that not illegal?
I work for a local politician who once got in trouble for having one of his campaign hats hanging on a hat rack in his office in a non-election year.
He should not be campaigning on the taxpayers' dime or on taxpayers' property!
— BingoValley (@binlava) February 12, 2020 [3]
Any other federal official (literally ANY other federal official) would be violating the #HatchAct [4] by passing out campaign materials in his/her/their government office.
— True Blue Liberal (@TrueBlueLiberal) February 12, 2020 [5]
Looks like those caps should be replaced with a marriage counselor.
— Cam Kay (@canmore2018) February 12, 2020 [6]
He may as well just sit on that rug, let 2 Russian hookers piss all over him, and charge the treasury for expenses. He knows he can get away with it now.
— sabine (@sabine62538055) February 12, 2020 [7]
Can we all just step back a sec and appreciate how utterly embarrassing this grotesque parody of a president actually is.
Ok, as you were.
— Padraig (@patrickmkcirtap) February 12, 2020 [8]