BUSH ADMIN Violated Hatch Act & Attempted To "Make Government A Stepchild Of The Republican Party"

[kpete]

Political Briefings At Agencies Disclosed
White House Calls Meetings Lawful

By R. Jeffrey Smith
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, April 26, 2007; Page A01

White House officials conducted 20 private briefings on Republican electoral prospects in the last midterm election for senior officials in at least 15 government agencies covered by federal restrictions on partisan political activity, a White House spokesman and other administration officials said yesterday.

The previously undisclosed briefings were part of what now appears to be a regular effort in which the White House sent senior political officials to brief top appointees in government agencies on which seats Republican candidates might win or lose, and how the election outcomes could affect the success of administration policies, the officials said.

............

Such coercion is prohibited under a federal law, known as the Hatch Act, meant to insulate virtually all federal workers from partisan politics. In addition to forbidding workplace pressures meant to influence an election outcome, the law bars the use of federal resources -- including office buildings, phones and computers -- for partisan purposes.

.............

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (Ill.) cited Doan's reported remarks yesterday in a Brookings Institution speech that criticized the Bush administration for using "all the levers of power" to promote its political interests and attempting to make the federal government "a stepchild of the Republican Party."

more at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/25/AR2007042503046.html?hpid=topnews

[Joanne98]

1. I watched that speech. It was very good!

[salin]

3. I read the transcript - it was excellent. Very glad the Post is

covering this. The public has to get the sense of a) how politicized this admin has made the federal govt and b) how dangerous that is to the good of the country. Why - so we never see this again.

[SpiralHawk]

2. Scuzzbucket republicons -- lacking in all ethics and honor

What a shameful pack of corrupt louts the republicons are...

Why do republicons HATE America, and America's democracy?

[LiberalFighter]

7. But.. But.. But..... Bush promised to bring integrity and honor to the White House

[SpiralHawk]

9. Just another republicon lie

As they have lied over and over again to the citizens of the USA

[Raksha]

4. All I can think when I read something like this

is "What if Clinton had done it?" Can you imagine the stink the RWWs would have raised if the Clinton administration had held political meetings in 15 government agencies? THEN they would have had a reason for impeaching him, and we'd still be hearing about it six years later. Hell, we'd be hearing about it FOREVER!

[Roland99]

5. What are you going to do about it, Rahm?

[antigop]

8. Good question! n/t

[wicket]

6. K & R

:kick:

[Solly Mack]

10. Bush violates the law all the time and yet he still sits untouched

I'll get all excited once he's in prison...until then...

[Blackhatjack]

11. It was all part of Rove's Plan to create a 'permanent Repub majority'...

Rove believed that they had such control of the government and all its agencies that he could engage in this conduct to insure that Republicans remained in power as the Majority Party for perpetuity.

[ThomWV]

12. I Caught It Late Last Night On C-Span

I imagine they will reshow it. The speech itself wasn't anything thrilling, the delivery wasn't particularly good and the setting was awful, but he had a lot to say.

What impresses me more is that the link shows this the be page 1 stuff. That is very important. A year ago it probably would not have been reported at all or if it had the thing would have showed up in the Metro section somewhere.

[DemReadingDU]

13. afternoon kick