Another Biden administration official has landed in hot water.
Originally published by WND News Service. Used with permission.
Joe Biden’s Health and Human Services secretary, the radically pro-abortion Xavier Becerra, violated federal law by using his official position to promote his own politics, according to a new ruling.
It is the Office of Special Counsel that ruled Becerra broke the law and Special Counsel Henry Kerner told Biden it happened when Beceerra publicly, while appearing as a government official, promoted his choice for senator from California, Alex Padilla.
“As explained in the accompanying report, OSC concluded that Secretary Becerra violated the Hatch Act by expressing support for Senator Alex Padilla’s reelection while speaking in his official capacity at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Annual Awards Gala on September 15, 2022,” Kerner explained.
A report from Fox News pointed out under federal law, the Hatch Act, federal officials are barred from publicly endorsing candidates or issues while they are acting as public officials.
They can express those opinions only when it’s clear they are speaking from a personal point of view.
“The Hatch Act prohibits federal employees from using their official authority or influence to affect the outcome of an election. In delivering his speech, Secretary Becerra impermissibly mixed his personal electoral preference with official remarks,” Kerner said.
He said, “While federal employees are permitted to express support for candidates when speaking in their personal capacity, the Hatch Act restricts employees from doing so when speaking as a government official.”
Becerra, responding to the accusation, claimed that he really didn’t mean to say what he said, that his comments were “inadvertent,” and he regretted his violation.
He said, “I now understand why they were not permitted,” noting that he has gotten “counseling” on the issue.
Padilla arrived in the Senate as a replacement for Kamala Harris.
Becerra has gone out of his way multiple times to irritate and offend members of Congress, including just weeks ago when he repeatedly refused to say what part of his department’s workforce still was working from home long after the COVID pandemic has been gone.
Becerra also has been pro-abortion in the extreme. He has promised “everything” is on the table as he orchestrates a fight against limits on chemical abortions across the nation.
In fact, when a federal court imposed those minor limits, such as having the chemicals dispensed in person by a doctor rather than having them mailed out, Becerra “did not rule out defying the order,” reports have confirmed.